Main Street Competes Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8882
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Commerce
- Status
- Passed House
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-24: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-02T20:58:33Z
AI-Generated Summary
## Purpose This legislation amends the Small Business Economic Policy Act of 1980 to require federal agencies to analyze and report on how enforcement of antitrust laws affects small business competitiveness, with the goal of promoting competitive markets, consumer choice, and small business growth.
## Key Provisions
- Short Title: The Act is named the "Main Street Competes Act."
- Policy Declaration Amendment: Updates the existing declaration to emphasize enforcement of federal antitrust laws against anticompetitive conduct and illegal mergers that harm small businesses.
- Reporting Requirements:
- The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission must submit biennial reports to the Small Business Administration's Chief Counsel for Advocacy. These reports cover antitrust enforcement actions that promote competition for small businesses, complaints from small businesses, and related investigations or actions.
- The Chief Counsel for Advocacy must then compile a summary report for Congress, including data analysis by industry, evaluations of issues, and recommendations for administrative or legislative actions to promote competition and address harms to small businesses.
- New Definitions: Adds terms such as "antitrust violation," "Federal antitrust laws" (including relevant parts of the Clayton Act and Federal Trade Commission Act), "small business," and "specified entity" (Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission).
## Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill expands the Small Business Economic Policy Act by adding antitrust enforcement as a core policy goal and creating new mandatory reporting obligations for the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and the Office of Advocacy. It introduces structured data collection on small business complaints and enforcement actions, which did not previously exist in this framework.
## Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Requires the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to track and report specific antitrust activities related to small businesses, potentially increasing administrative workload. The Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy gains a new coordination and reporting role.
- Citizens and Small Businesses: May lead to greater focus on antitrust cases involving small businesses, potentially improving their competitive position, though outcomes depend on agency implementation.
- International Relations: No direct effects are outlined in the legislation.
## Main Stakeholders Affected
- Small businesses (as defined under the Small Business Act).
- Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission.
- Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy.
- Congressional committees on small business.
## Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The Act integrates antitrust policy into small business economic policy without altering the substance of existing antitrust statutes. It creates ongoing congressional oversight mechanisms through required reports but does not introduce new enforcement powers or change constitutional allocations of authority.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Scholten, Hillary J. [D-MI-3]
Cosponsors (2)
Rep. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS-2], Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2]
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-24: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2026-06-23: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- 2026-06-23: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4149-4150)
- 2026-06-23: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- 2026-06-23: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 8882.
- 2026-06-23: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4149-4151)
- 2026-06-23: Mr. Williams (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- 2026-06-03: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 595.
- 2026-06-03: Reported by the Committee on Small Business. H. Rept. 119-682.
- 2026-06-03: Reported by the Committee on Small Business. H. Rept. 119-682.
- 2026-05-20: Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 0.
- 2026-05-20: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- 2026-05-19: Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.
- 2026-05-19: Introduced in House
- 2026-05-19: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Main Street Competes Act — issued 2026-06-23 — PDF (8 pages)
- Main Street Competes Act — issued 2026-05-19 — PDF (6 pages)
- Main Street Competes Act — issued 2026-06-24 — PDF (6 pages)
- Main Street Competes Act — issued 2026-06-03 — PDF (8 pages)