Georgia CommonsSR 890: Senate Study Committee on Protecting Free and Fair Markets in Georgia; create
Last action March 31, 2026 · Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute
A Georgia Senate resolution creates a five-member study committee to examine market concentration in housing, technology, agriculture, healthcare, and retail, and to consider whether Georgia should strengthen its antitrust laws.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
This resolution sets up the Senate Study Committee on Protecting Free and Fair Markets in Georgia. It responds to concerns that economic power has become concentrated among a small number of large corporations, affecting small businesses, family farms, home ownership, and consumer prices across the state. The committee will have five senators appointed by the President of the Senate, one of whom will chair it. Its job is to study Georgia's current antitrust laws and enforcement powers, how concentrated ownership affects sectors like housing and agriculture, how corporate and institutional investors are buying up single-family homes, and how other states have updated their antitrust and merger review rules. The committee can meet as needed, members receive standard legislative allowances funded through Senate appropriations, and it must file any findings or recommended legislation before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.
What the bill does
- Creates the Senate Study Committee on Protecting Free and Fair Markets in Georgia, made up of five senators appointed by the President of the Senate.
- Directs the committee to study the strength of Georgia's antitrust laws and how effectively they are enforced.
- Requires the committee to examine economic concentration in housing, technology platforms, agriculture, healthcare, and retail markets in Georgia.
- Directs the committee to study how corporate and institutional investors buying single-family homes affects housing affordability.
- Requires the committee to review antitrust and merger review approaches used by other states as models for possible Georgia reforms.
- Sets the committee to automatically end on December 1, 2026, after filing a report or committee meeting minutes.
Who it affects
State senators appointed to the committee, small businesses and family farms concerned about market concentration, Georgia homeowners and renters affected by institutional home buying, and any industries such as agriculture, technology, healthcare, and retail that the study examines for competition concerns.
Why it matters
The committee's findings could shape future Georgia legislation on antitrust enforcement, corporate home buying, and market competition, potentially affecting prices, housing availability, and conditions for small businesses and family farms, though the resolution itself creates no new laws or penalties.
Key provisions
- Paragraph (1) creates the Senate Study Committee on Protecting Free and Fair Markets in Georgia.
- Paragraph (2) sets committee membership at five senators appointed by the Senate President, who also names the chairperson.
- Paragraph (3) lists study topics including antitrust enforcement, sector concentration, institutional home ownership, other states' merger review processes, and possible legislative reforms.
- Paragraph (5) limits paid allowances to five meeting days unless additional days are authorized, funded through Senate appropriations.
- Paragraph (6) requires any approved findings or proposed legislation to be filed as a report before the committee's abolishment date.
- Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.
From the bill
“There is created the Senate Study Committee on Protecting Free and Fair Markets in Georgia.”
“a study committee is needed to determine how antitrust enforcement and competition policy have evolved in other states and any legislative or policy changes Georgia may adopt to better safeguard its citizens from monopolistic behavior and unfair methods of competition.”
Status timeline
- Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)
- Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
- Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)
- Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
- Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
- Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
- Sally Harrell (D, SD-040)
- RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)
- Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)
- Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)
- Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
- Josh McLaurin (D, SD-014)
- Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
Votes
- Senate voteMarch 31, 2026
48 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)
Topics
- antitrust enforcement
- housing affordability
- small businesses
- family farms
- market competition