MAMDANI Act

Bill Number

H.R. 4692

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Commerce

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-07-23: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Last Updated

2025-09-17T17:21:48Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

The MAMDANI Act (H.R. 4692) directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to study the potential effects of government-owned or operated grocery stores, known as "public grocery stores." It aims to assess how these stores might influence competition, food supply chains, and consumer access in the retail grocery sector, responding to recent local proposals for such stores.

Key Provisions

• Study Requirement: Within 180 days of enactment, the FTC must conduct a comprehensive study in consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service and Food and Nutrition Service. The study covers:
• Competitive effects on small, medium, and large private grocery stores; farmers; food banks and charities; wholesale food prices; supply chains (including purchasing power, market share, and distribution networks); and the overall retail grocery sector.
• Impacts on consumer access to food, choices, and prices, especially in "food deserts" (areas with high poverty and limited access to supermarkets, defined as census tracts with 20%+ poverty rates and at least 500 residents living over 1 mile from a large store).
• Potential advantages for public stores, such as subsidies, tax breaks, or fewer regulations that could affect fair competition.
• Effects on local, regional, and national agriculture, including prices farmers receive.
• Long-term market changes, like barriers for private businesses entering or leaving the grocery sector.
• Risks of unfair competition or market distortions.
• Data Usage: The study must rely on existing data from the FTC, USDA, state/local records, industry reports, and public procurement information.
• Reporting: Within 1 year of completing the study, and annually afterward, the FTC must submit a report to Congress summarizing findings and recommending administrative or legislative actions to address any issues.
• Definitions:
• Public grocery store: A store owned or run by federal, state, or local government that sells general food products.
• Private grocery store: A non-government business selling general food products.
• Food bank: A nonprofit that collects, stores, and distributes donated or bought food.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

This bill introduces a new mandate for the FTC to study and report on public grocery stores, which does not exist in current law. It builds on the FTC's existing authority to analyze market competition but adds specific requirements for interagency consultation and ongoing annual reporting, without altering broader antitrust or agricultural regulations.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: Increases workload for the FTC and USDA to gather data and produce reports, potentially informing future federal guidance on government involvement in retail markets.
• Citizens: Could improve understanding of how public stores might expand food access in underserved areas like food deserts, or raise food prices/choices if competition is distorted; benefits consumers through policy recommendations.
• International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though findings on supply chains could indirectly affect U.S. agricultural trade if public stores influence farmer incomes or food distribution.
• Broader Economy: May discourage or encourage local public store initiatives by highlighting risks to private businesses and supply chains, promoting more informed municipal decisions.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Private Grocery Retailers: Small, medium, and large stores could face new competition or advantages/disadvantages from public stores.
• Farmers and Producers: Potential shifts in prices, market access, and supply chains affecting their livelihoods.
• Food Banks and Charities: Impacts on donations, distribution, and operations if public stores alter food availability.
• Consumers: Especially those in low-access areas, who may gain better options or face unintended price/choice changes.
• Local Governments and Municipalities: Proposals for public stores could be influenced by study findings on sustainability and competition.
• Federal Agencies: FTC and USDA bear the primary implementation burden.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Reinforces the FTC's role in monitoring competition under laws like the Federal Trade Commission Act, potentially leading to enforcement actions if unfair advantages are identified; no new enforcement powers are granted.
• Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's authority to direct agency studies on interstate commerce (grocery sector as part of the economy); raises no apparent free market or property rights challenges but could spark debates on government vs. private enterprise.
• Political: Addresses concerns from private sector advocates about "unfair" public competition, while supporting food access goals; the annual reporting ensures ongoing congressional oversight, possibly influencing partisan debates on economic intervention at local levels.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]

Cosponsors (1)

Rep. Garbarino, Andrew R. [R-NY-2]

Recent Actions

• 2025-07-23: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
• 2025-07-23: Introduced in House
• 2025-07-23: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Measuring Adverse Market Disruption And National Impact Act — issued 2025-07-23 — PDF (5 pages)