“These proposals would stifle growth and innovation by treating small town gas stations, hotels, grocery stores, movie theaters, and other local job creators like giant monopolies.”
st paul (February 26, 2024) – Small business owners are responding to a series of proposals that would fundamentally change Minnesota's antitrust laws. The Minnesota Attorney General and lawmakers held a press conference at 10:30 a.m. today to promote three bills.
The content of the proposal is HF1563/SF1744, HF 398/SF 1069and HF 399/SF 1070. Collectively, these bills convey new government authority to set prices under normal market conditions and to investigate small businesses for general business practices that are both pro-competitive and pro-consumer. The proposal includes concepts not found in U.S. antitrust law, such as an “abuse of dominance” standard drawn from European Union market regulations.
“These proposals would stifle growth and innovation by treating small-town gas stations, hotels, grocery stores, movie theaters, and all other local job creators like giant monopolies. Probably.'' John Reynolds, NFIB Minnesota State Director. “Small businesses want a competitive, fair and level playing field. They don't want government regulators to monitor them in all their normal business decisions. NFIB Urges Lawmakers to Focus on Real, Common-Sense Main Street Solutions in a Bipartisan Framework American Innovation and Online Choice Act; He is a backer of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. ”
Read more about NFIB’s bipartisan support American Innovation and Online Choice Act here.