Fair Competition for Small Business Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill, introduced by Waters, would give state attorneys general the power to sue companies that charge different prices to different businesses for the same products. This practice, called price discrimination, often gives big chain stores an unfair advantage over local shops.
• Currently, state officials can only sue for certain illegal business practices, like monopolies. This change would allow them to take legal action specifically when price discrimination hurts people or small businesses in their state.
• The goal is to help small businesses compete fairly. When large retailers get secret discounts that small shops can't get, the smaller stores often have to raise prices or go out of business, which leaves shoppers with fewer choices.
• If a state wins a lawsuit, the money could be used to pay back the people or businesses harmed by the unfair pricing. This allows regular citizens to get justice through their state government instead of having to pay for their own expensive legal battles.