Untitled DocumentWASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a markup on a resolution that would establish the Judiciary Task Force on Antitrust and Competition Policy. The resolution, introduced by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., chairman of the committee, will renew the previous task force that has been in place since February. The House committee passed the resolution by a unanimous voice vote.
Membership of the task force will be determined by the chairman of the committee, who will select 10 members; and the ranking minority member, who will select the remaining eight. Conyers is serving as chairman of the subcommittee while Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, is the ranking minority member. The purpose of the task force is to more closely examine policy issues related to antitrust and competition matters. The task force will take effect Sept. 5, 2007, and will expire March 5, 2008.
“Our concern is that we have now turned the corner on the congressional schedule, and the repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act legislation has yet to be marked up by either the House or Senate,” said Bob Redding, ASA’s Washington, D.C., representative. “The fall will be consumed by appropriations bills, and 2009 could easily be absorbed with election year politics, leaving no time to move a major initiative such as the repeal of McCarran-Ferguson. ASA would like to see the committees consider the repeal this fall.”
To view the text of the resolution, visit ASA’s legislative Web site,
www.TakingTheHill.com, click on “Information Availability” and then “Background.”
