Sponsors (9)
The bill speeds and increases transparency and state enforcement in merger and consent-judgment proceedings, but by shortening review windows and expanding disclosure and hold-separate rules it raises the risk of less thorough reviews and higher transaction and litigation costs.
State attorneys general (and local governments) gain clearer ability to intervene or substitute when DOJ/FTC move to dismiss, allowing state enforcement of antitrust suits to continue on behalf of local residents.
Parties to merger and consent-judgment proceedings and the public will get faster resolution because multiple review and response periods are shortened (from 60 to 45 days), reducing procedural delay.
Federal and State agencies, parties to transactions, and the public may gain more transparency about settlements and concessions because courts can require production of disclosed communications and related benefits to government actors.
State attorneys general, agencies, courts, and third parties have less time to evaluate complex mergers because multiple review and response windows are shortened (to 45 days), increasing the risk of less thorough review and missed harms (including potential national-security or competition concerns).
Transaction parties (including small businesses) may face prolonged hold-separate obligations—lasting until 15 days after agency responses plus any court extensions—raising transaction costs, operational uncertainty, and deal delay risks.
Federal agencies and transaction parties may be compelled to produce deliberative or internal materials under expanded disclosure requirements, which could chill internal decision-making, spur privilege disputes, and increase litigation costs.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Shortens many antitrust notice-and-response deadlines (60→45 days), increases DOJ/FTC disclosure and commenter reply rights, and adjusts hold-separate timing in merger cases.
Introduced March 17, 2026 by Amy Klobuchar · Last progress March 17, 2026
Changes to federal antitrust procedure shorten several waiting and response deadlines (mostly from 60 days to 45 days), add new disclosure and publication requirements for DOJ and FTC settlement proposals, and give commenters additional procedural rights. The amendments also remove a statutory cross-reference to the FTC Act as a source of antitrust claims and make the FTC an explicit parallel actor with the United States in multiple Clayton Act notice-and-comment provisions. The bill updates how courts and agencies must handle hold-separate (asset separation) requirements during merger reviews, extends the timetable for keeping assets separate until after agencies respond to public comments, and allows limited court extensions when a proposed consent judgment likely fails statutory requirements or equity requires more time.