American Cost of Living Defense Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10904 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10904

   To direct the Federal Trade Commission to convene an interagency 
working group to track and report on market concentration and monopoly 
activity with respect to certain sectors of the economy, and for other 
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 22, 2026

 Mr. Vindman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To direct the Federal Trade Commission to convene an interagency 
working group to track and report on market concentration and monopoly 
activity with respect to certain sectors of the economy, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``American Cost of Living Defense 
Act''.

SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.

    (a) Establishment and Purpose.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Trade Commission shall 
convene an interagency working group to develop and implement a 
methodology for tracking and reporting on market concentration and 
monopoly activity with respect to the covered sectors of the economy.
    (b) Composition.--The interagency working group convened pursuant 
to subsection (a) shall include representatives of the following:
            (1) The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice.
            (2) The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
            (3) The Bureau of Labor Statistics.
            (4) The Bureau of the Census.
            (5) The Department of Agriculture.
            (6) The Department of Commerce.
            (7) The Department of Health and Human Services.
            (8) The Department of Housing and Urban Development.
            (9) The Department of the Treasury.
            (10) The Department of Transportation.
            (11) The Federal Communications Commission.
            (12) The Federal Trade Commission.
            (13) Any other Federal department or agency the Federal 
        Trade Commission determines appropriate.
    (c) Report.--
            (1) Requirement and timing.--Not later than 2 years after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 3 years 
        thereafter, the Federal Trade Commission shall make available 
        to the public in a prominent location on the primary website of 
        the Federal Trade Commission a report that includes information 
        on--
                    (A) market concentration and monopoly activity 
                within each of the covered sectors of the economy;
                    (B) any corporate or supply chain bottlenecks 
                contributing to consumer price increases with respect 
                to such sectors;
                    (C) any platforms or services with respect to such 
                sectors that may be used for pricing coordination or 
                price discrimination;
                    (D) the market share of the top 4 firms in each of 
                such sectors, with each such firm specified by name; 
                and
                    (E) recommendations for using existing authorities 
                to address market concentration and monopoly activity 
                within such sectors.
            (2) Visual data representations for understandability.--
        Each report made available under paragraph (1) shall include 
        visual data representations, including graphs and charts, to 
        ensure the data of such report is accessible to, and easily 
        understandable by, the general public.
    (d) Considerations.--In carrying out this section, the Federal 
Trade Commission shall--
            (1) consider utilizing existing data and measures, 
        including relevant data of the Bureau of the Census; and
            (2) work with the Bureau of Labor Statistics to align the 
        covered sectors of the economy with similar categorization used 
        in relation to the Consumer Price Index of the Bureau.
    (e) Exemption.--Subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United 
States Code (commonly referred to as the ``Paperwork Reduction Act''), 
does not apply to any collection of information conducted or sponsored 
to implement this section.
    (f) Covered Sectors of the Economy Defined.--The term ``covered 
sectors of the economy'' means each sector of the economy comprised, as 
determined by the Federal Trade Commission, of a good or service that 
consumers regularly purchase to sustain basic daily functioning, and 
which may include, if determined appropriate by the Federal Trade 
Commission, each of the following sectors:
            (1) Cereals and bakery products.
            (2) Bread.
            (3) Beef.
            (4) Pork.
            (5) Poultry.
            (6) Fish and seafood.
            (7) Eggs.
            (8) Milk.
            (9) Fresh fruit.
            (10) Fresh vegetables.
            (11) Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials.
            (12) Coffee.
            (13) Baby food and formula.
            (14) Motor fuel.
            (15) Housekeeping supplies.
            (16) Medical care commodities.
            (17) Prescription drugs.
            (18) Nonprescription drugs.
            (19) Medical supplies and equipment.
            (20) Hair, dental, shaving, and miscellaneous personal care 
        products.
            (21) Rent of primary residence.
            (22) Telecommunications services.
            (23) Consumer financial products.
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