Rep. Handel’s SMARTER Act Passes U.S. House

By a vote of 230-185, the U.S. House passed H.R. 5645, the Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules (SMARTER) Act. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Karen Handel (R, GA-6) to “bring consistency to the federal review process for mergers as recommended by the Department of Justice’s Anti-Trust Modernization Commission (AMC).”

Rep. Handel:

“The SMARTER Act is a much-needed piece of legislation that will harmonize and modernize our antitrust procedures. This bill also strengthens the process by injecting greater consistency, more transparency, and enhanced consumer protection when mergers and acquisitions occur. And by focusing on consistency, the SMARTER Act does not weaken or undermine our antitrust review process, and it does not prevent or hinder either agency from conducting a full and thorough review.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader:

“Reducing regulations and establishing business certainty have been key drivers of our economy’s expansion.  Rep. Handel’s SMARTER Act will help streamline the oversight process for mergers or acquisitions, which give American businesses opportunities for continued investment in jobs and products.”

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

“Mergers have the potential to significantly impact our nation’s economy and the livelihood of millions of Americans. For this reason, we must ensure the review process for proposed mergers is fair, transparent and predictable. This commonsense legislation harmonizes the merger review process to ensure that companies face the same standards and processes regardless of whether the Federal Trade Commission or the Justice Department reviews the merger. I applaud Representative Karen Handel for her leadership on this issue.”

 

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