A committee took its first vote in the early afternoon, advancing a bill that would increase the money companies pay government agencies when getting some mergers approved.
House lawmakers on Wednesday began the process of considering a legislative package that would overhaul the nation’s antitrust laws in an attempt to rein in the power of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. Over the course of the day, members of the House Judiciary Committee are expected to vote on six bills that could block the tech giants from prioritizing their own products online, force them to break off parts of their businesses and generate more resources for the law enforcement agencies that police Silicon Valley. Skeptical lawmakers can propose amendments to the bills or oppose the measures outright. The committee took its first vote in the early afternoon, voting in favor of a bill that would increase the amount of money companies pay government agencies when getting some mergers approved. That money could fund more aggressive enforcement of the antitrust laws, its supporters say. The bill passed out of the committee with 29 lawmakers in favor and 12 opposed.
