Sponsors (35)
The bill restores broad access to courts and class/collective remedies for workers, consumers, civil‑rights claimants, and small businesses — improving enforcement — at the cost of greater litigation exposure, higher legal and compliance costs for firms (and potentially higher prices or reduced investment), plus some short‑term uncertainty while courts adjust to the new statutory text.
Workers, consumers, civil‑rights plaintiffs, and small businesses regain and retain the ability to bring employment, antitrust, consumer, and civil‑rights claims in federal court and pursue class or collective actions, increasing access to remedies and enforcement.
Federal courts, litigants, and enforcement actors benefit from clearer statutory placement (new chapter in Title 9) and updated jurisdictional language ('interstate commerce'), reducing confusion and simplifying jurisdictional analysis.
Small businesses and low‑income or middle‑class consumers can more effectively join or bring collective antitrust and consumer litigation, improving their ability to challenge widespread or systemic harmful conduct.
Businesses (including small businesses) and consumers face higher litigation costs and larger aggregate liability from revived class/collective suits, which could lead firms to raise prices, reduce services, or cut hiring and investment.
Employers and other firms lose access to a predictable, lower‑cost arbitration path, increasing legal uncertainty, compliance costs, and administrative burdens for businesses and taxpayers.
There will be short‑term uncertainty for parties and taxpayers while the new Title 9 chapter is published and courts interpret the changes, potentially increasing transitional litigation and administrative costs.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits predispute mandatory arbitration and class‑action waivers for future employment, consumer, antitrust, and civil rights disputes and adds a new chapter to Title 9.
Bans predispute mandatory arbitration clauses that force future employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights disputes into private arbitration instead of court, and stops contract terms that prevent people, workers, or small businesses from joining together in class, collective, or joint lawsuits. Amends Title 9 of the U.S. Code to add a new chapter reflecting these changes and makes conforming technical edits. The law takes effect on the date of enactment and applies to disputes that arise or accrue on or after that date.
Official title: Amend title 9 of the United States Code with respect to arbitration.
Introduced September 15, 2025 by Richard Blumenthal · Last progress September 15, 2025