More than two dozen small business associations, members of the Small Business Rising coalition, endorsed the Fair Competition for Small Business Act, which was introduced in Congress by Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Maxine Waters. The bill will invigorate state level antitrust enforcement to ensure fair supplier pricing for small and independent businesses. The coalition endorsed the bill as a “... simple and effective remedy to foster fair competition and enforce existing antitrust law” and urges Congress to pass the bill this legislative session.
Small Business Rising is a coalition of small business groups and provides a united voice for more than 300,000 independent businesses on issues of fair competition and monopoly harms. The coalition has repeatedly called for antitrust enforcers to police predatory practices through greater enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act.
The letter states:
Under-enforcement of existing antitrust laws, specifically the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), has significantly harmed small businesses while enabling larger corporations to consolidate power. Decades of non-enforcement allowed dominant retailers and wholesalers to extract discriminatory concessions from suppliers, creating a tilted playing field that independent businesses cannot overcome.
Our coalition has long advocated for federal policymakers to take on the rampant price discrimination in our economy. We applauded the Commission's RPA complaints against PepsiCo. and Southern Glazers — a critical step toward reviving enforcement of this vital law. The dismissal of the FTC’s complaint against PepsiCo. is a significant setback to federal enforcers’ commitment to fair markets for our nation’s independent grocers, retailers, restaurants, pharmacies, farmers, and all Main Street businesses.
For this reason, we urge Congress to take action and are encouraged by the introduction of the Fair Competition for Small Business Act. This important bill would provide state-level antitrust enforcers greater tools to address predatory pricing practices by enabling state attorneys general to seek damages under the RPA.