Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate committee hears lengthy debate on AB 325 to target algorithmic price‑fixing
Summary
Assemblymember (author of AB 325) told the Senate Judiciary committee the bill updates California's antitrust law to address algorithmic price fixing; economists and former Justice Department officials testified the measure is needed to prevent software‑enabled collusion, while business groups warned the bill's language remains too broad and could reach lawful pricing tools.
Assemblymember (author of AB 325) opened a long hearing on AB 325, saying the bill updates California's antitrust law to address modern tools that can enable illegal price fixing through software and algorithms. The author said the bill has been narrowed through multiple rounds of amendments to add safe harbors for good‑faith behavior, exempt ordinary end users, and remove joint and several liability to avoid penalizing small businesses for actions by larger firms.
Antitrust lawyers and former federal officials who testified in support described cases and patterns they say show digital tools can be used to coordinate pricing across industries. Lee Heppner, an antitrust attorney with the American Economic Liberties Project, said many third‑party platforms are being used as "hubs" that erode…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
