Senate committee backs study of market concentration, approves five‑day limit on committee meetings

A Senate committee approved Senate Resolution 890 on a voice vote as amended, creating a study committee to examine whether market concentration is affecting prices and competition across sectors including housing, health care and agriculture.

Senator Ben Halpern, sponsor of SR 890, told the committee the measure "says, let's take a serious fact‑based look at how markets are functioning in Georgia today and whether they're still working the way we expect them to for consumers, small businesses, and Georgia families." He cited growing concentration in sectors such as pharmacy benefit management, where "three pharmacy benefit managers ... control roughly 75 to 80% of the entire market," and said consolidation can raise prices and reduce choices.

The resolution directs a study committee to evaluate Georgia's antitrust framework, measure concentration across key sectors, and consider whether legal or enforcement gaps limit competition. Halpern said the attorney general's consumer protection division "does already have some authority in this space," but the study will gather data to determine whether additional measures are needed.

Committee members pressed the sponsor on scope and process. Senator Hodgees asked that the committee examine whether state tax preferences and incentives "are we helping or hurting" competition. Senator Rammon asked how the study would define "small business" — citing employee counts, revenue thresholds and the difference between franchises and independent operators — and urged the sponsor to identify whom the committee will hear from.

Senator Summers moved that SR 890 "do pass." Senator Burns offered a friendly amendment to insert standard study‑committee language limiting the allowances authorized by the resolution so that committee members "shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than 5 days unless additional authorization" and to specify that funds would come from the funds appropriated by the Senate. The committee approved the amendment by voice vote and then approved SR 890 as amended by voice vote; the transcript records the voice votes but does not list a roll‑call tally.

The committee record does not specify a final vote count or whether any legal threshold was formally noted; committee members indicated the panel will follow up offline to settle details about meeting days, participants and the study agenda.

The study committee will be charged with taking testimony, measuring concentration across sectors and reporting findings and recommendations to the governor and the General Assembly; the resolution's exact meeting schedule and staffing details will be determined as the committee is organized.