Sponsors (16)
Introduced July 17, 2025 by Janice D. Schakowsky · Last progress July 17, 2025
The bill strengthens federal oversight and disclosure to protect competition and improve transparency during market shocks, but does so at the cost of broader regulatory reach, higher compliance burdens, potential exposure of sensitive business information, possible politicized interventions, and a $1.0B fiscal commitment.
Small businesses, consumers, and local/state governments gain stronger federal tools to prevent foreclosure of access and maintain supply continuity during defined 'exceptional market shock' events, preserving commerce after disasters or emergencies.
Investors, shareholders, and the public get clearer, comparable disclosures (tabular and narrative) about firms' post-shock volumes, prices, margins, and cost drivers, improving market transparency and accountability for pricing decisions.
Using an existing regulatory definition for 'ultimate parent entity' reduces ambiguity and aligns enforcement and reporting expectations with current merger/antitrust frameworks, simplifying compliance for firms.
Small businesses and financial firms will face expanded regulatory reach and new SEC disclosure obligations, increasing compliance, administrative, and accounting costs.
Covered firms risk revealing competitively sensitive information (pricing, margins, strategy) through required public disclosures, which could harm their market positions.
Tying 'exceptional market shock' triggers to a broad set of events (and to Presidential Stafford Act declarations) risks politicizing when special market rules apply, creating sudden intervention risk and uncertainty for suppliers and customers.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Bans "grossly excessive" pricing, creates enforcement presumptions during market shocks, mandates SEC pricing disclosures after shocks, and provides $1B to the FTC.
Makes it illegal to sell goods or services at a “grossly excessive” price and gives the Federal Trade Commission new tools to enforce that ban, including definitions of when large firms have unfair leverage and special presumptions during major market disruptions. It also tells the Securities and Exchange Commission to require public companies that went through such disruptions to disclose detailed, tabled and narrative information about volume, price, costs, margins, and pricing decisions. The bill provides $1 billion in new funding for the FTC for this work.