Antitrust Freedom Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced
Summary
An antitrust exemption for voluntary coordination among individuals. This bill would bar the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, and Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act from being applied to private, voluntary economic coordination, cooperation, agreements, or covenants entered into by individuals.
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- Individuals: Private groups of people who make voluntary economic agreements would be immune from being treated as unlawful under those three federal antitrust laws.
- Regulators and enforcers: Federal antitrust authorities would not be able to use those specific statutes to challenge conduct that fits the bill's description, while enforcement against other, non-exempt conduct would remain possible.
- Legal scope: The text does not define what counts as "voluntary economic coordination," leaving the precise boundaries unspecified.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Antitrust exemption for individual coordination
This bill would say federal antitrust laws do not apply to voluntary economic agreements between individuals. It would cover the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, and section 5 of the FTC Act. The text would not add definitions, limits, enforcement rules, or an effective date or sunset. If enacted, this would likely reduce antitrust risk for people who coordinate prices or outputs. It would also weaken competition and raise prices for consumers.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Paul, Rand [R-KY]
KY • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov