Congress demands antitrust agencies report on small-business protection
H.R. 8882 — Main Street Competes Act · Filed by Hillary Scholten (D-MI) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced May 19, 2026 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill requires the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to report every two years on how their antitrust enforcement affects small businesses—specifically tracking complaints from small businesses, investigations launched in response, and enforcement actions that deter anticompetitive conduct. The Small Business Administration's Chief Counsel for Advocacy then synthesizes these reports and recommends administrative or legislative actions to strengthen competition and protect small-business growth.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a reporting and data-collection mandate designed to illuminate how federal antitrust agencies' enforcement decisions affect small-business competition. It does not change substantive antitrust law or create new private rights; it creates visibility into existing enforcement.
What the text implies
- The bill does not mandate enforcement action—only reporting. Agencies could comply by documenting that they took no action on small-business complaints, creating a transparency record without forcing policy change.
- Disaggregation by industry category may reveal enforcement disparities, potentially exposing political or resource-allocation patterns in antitrust work.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill creates transparency and accountability mechanisms for antitrust enforcement without restricting citizens' rights or remedies. It mandates data collection and reporting on how federal agencies protect small businesses from anticompetitive harm, enabling Congress and the public to assess whether enforcement is adequate.