Mike Collins: “I am pleased to bring this rule forward on behalf of the Rules Committee. The rule provides for consideration of H.R.…”

“I am pleased to bring this rule forward on behalf of the Rules Committee. The rule provides for consideration of H.R. 2745, the Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2015, or the SMARTER Act. The rule also provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, and also provides a motion to recommit. I would like to point out that the Rules Committee put out a call for amendments, but none were submitted for consideration. Yesterday the Rules Committee received testimony from the chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial, and Antitrust Law. A subcommittee hearing was held on this legislation and it was marked up and reported by the Judiciary Committee. The bill went through regular order and enjoyed discussion at both the subcommittee and full committee level. H.R. 2745 is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Hospital Association because it is a matter of basic fairness and reducing uncertainty. This legislation makes two key changes to the procedures by which the Federal Trade Commission litigates merger cases. First, it requires the FTC to satisfy the same standards that the DOJ must meet in order to obtain a preliminary injunction in Federal Court.…”