Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2011
Latest action · Jul 18, 2011 By Senator Leahy from Committee on the Judiciary filed written report. Report No. 112-38.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 25, 2011
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2011 - Amends the Clayton Act to grant the United States exclusive authority to bring suit for injunctive relief against a common carrier that is not a rail common carrier subject to the jurisdiction of the Surface Transportation Board (STB).
Revises provisions prohibiting anticompetitive transactions except for those approved by specified federal agencies acting under certain statutes to eliminate the exemption for certain STB approved transactions.
Provides that, in any civil action against a rail common carrier, the U.S. district court shall not be required to defer to the primary jurisdiction of the STB.
Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to regulate, and engage in antitrust enforcement regarding, collective rate agreements and certain transactions, including railroad mergers and acquisitions.
Permits treble damages against railroad common carriers in antitrust suits to parties injured by antitrust violations without regard to whether such railroads have filed rates or whether a complaint challenging rates has been filed.
Amends federal transportation law to terminate the exemptions from antitrust laws for collective ratemaking agreements.
Requires the STB, when reviewing a proposed agreement, to take into account its impact upon shippers, consumers, and affected communities.
Revises STB authority to provide that a rail carrier, corporation, or a person participating in an approved transaction is not exempt from specified antitrust laws. Makes such provision inapplicable to any transaction relating to the pooling of railroad cars approved by the STB or its predecessor agency.
Cosponsors 7
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 25, 2011 to Jan 26, 2011; 6 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Al Franken | Original | Jan 25, 2011 |
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Original | Jan 25, 2011 |
| R-LA | David Vitter | Original | Jan 25, 2011 |
| D-MT | Jon Tester | Original | Jan 25, 2011 |
| R-UT | Orrin G. Hatch | Original | Jan 25, 2011 |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Original | Jan 25, 2011 |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Jan 26, 2011 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jan 25, 2011Markup Mar 3, 2011Reported Mar 28, 2011 |
Actions 7
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 18, 2011By Senator Leahy from Committee on the Judiciary filed written report. Report No. 112-38.
- Mar 28, 2011Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy without amendment. Without written report.
- Mar 28, 2011Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 19.
- Mar 3, 2011Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Jan 25, 2011Introduced in Senate
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Mar 25, 2011S. 49, Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2011Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on March 3, 2011
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL34117 | Railroad Access and Competition Issues Archived | Report | Apr 4, 2011 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend the Federal antitrust laws to provide expanded coverage and to eliminate exemptions from such laws that are contrary to the public interest with respect to railroads.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2011
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2011
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Commerce.
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 28, 2011Reported to Senate
- Jan 25, 2011Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
