Congress·In Committee·H.R. 6830

Rep. Waters Introduces Fair Competition for Small Business Act to Target Price Discrimination

To amend the Clayton Act to permit a State attorney general to bring a civil action for damages as parens patriae for injuries sustained by reason of price discrimination in violation of the Robinson-Patman Act amendments to the Clayton Act, and for other purposes.

Also known as: Fair Competition for Small Business Act of 2025

3 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Bipartisan Push to Combat Price Discrimination Against Small Businesses

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

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.

Economy FinanceCriminal Justice

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Dec 17, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Dec 17, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

2 articles

PYMNTS·9 days ago

Is the Robinson-Patman Act Here to Stay?

In December 2025, Cory Booker and Maxine Waters introduced the Fair Competition for Small Business Act of 2025, which would expand the authority of state attorneys general to seek damages for violations of the Robinson-Patman Act amidst renewed political attention to price discrimination.

The American Prospect·6 months ago

Supermarket Shaping

This analysis discusses the history of the Robinson-Patman Act and the recent push by anti-monopoly advocates to revive its enforcement. It highlights the legal gap where small grocers cannot afford private suits, setting the stage for legislation to empower state-level enforcement.