A House measure has passed a Pennsylvania Senate Committee that would oversee planned merger deals. It gives the state attorney general power to investigate companies that attempt to engage in monopoly-like practices. It also would increase state civil penalties for antitrust violations, especially for health care providers. The bill requires that the attorney general receive a prior notification of any planned mergers. Supporters say it would end Pennsylvania’s notoriety as being the only state without its own antitrust law. Opponents believe the complex bill deserves a public hearing.
