Congressman Neguse’s Bill to Permanently Reauthorize a Critical Antitrust Program Passes the House

Neguse led a bipartisan effort to reauthorize the program as critical provisions were set to expire this week

Washington D.C.—Congressman Joe Neguse, who represents Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District and serves as Vice Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, today passed critical antitrust legislation out of the U.S. House of Representatives. His bill, the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Permanent Extension Act repeals the sunset provision in the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act (ACPERA) which was set to sunset this week. His legislation is bipartisan with the support of Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI), Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law and Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Ranking Member for the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law.

“ACPERA is a critical tool in detecting and prosecuting illegal cartel activity,” said Congressman Joe Neguse. “A reauthorization of ACPERA will ensure that the Antitrust Division has the tools it needs to continue to uncover and prosecute criminal cartel activity, as well as protect consumers against price-fixing cartels. I’m grateful to Chairman Nadler and Chairman Cicilline for their support in bringing my bill swiftly to the floor, Chairman Johnson for previously carrying this critical bill and for the broad coalition of Members who supported its passage.”

“The Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act has aided antitrust enforcers in uncovering cartels and stopping criminal antitrust activity,” said Chairman Nadler. “Criminal enforcement of the antitrust laws—including combatting cartel behavior—must be a priority. I am pleased to support this legislation to reauthorize this important law, and I thank Congressman Joe Neguse, the Vice Chairman of the Antitrust Subcommittee, for his leadership on this important effort.”

“ACPERA is critical for stopping cartel activity,” said Cicilline. “We need to ensure the Department of Justice has the tools it needs to prosecute companies that rip off consumers. I thank my good friend, Mr. Neguse, for his strong leadership crafting this bipartisan bill and getting it passed by the U.S. House.”

ACPERA provides incentives to antitrust violators to self-report violations to the Justice Department and to cooperate fully with government prosecutors and private litigants, in order to strengthen public and private antitrust enforcement while limiting civil exposure of a cooperating leniency applicant in related civil litigation. The bill passed by Congressman Neguse incentivizes participation in the DOJ Antitrust Division’s leniency program which is critical in the process of detecting and fighting illegal cartel activity.

View text of the bill here.