- Washington AG Nick Brown announced that Washington is the first state to require companies to file a premerger notification with the state AG’s office concurrently with the federal filing required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. This new requirement, which took effect July 27, 2025, applies to companies or individuals with a principal place of business in Washington, those meeting certain sales thresholds in the state, or healthcare providers.
- According to the press release, this notification requirement is intended to give the AG’s Antitrust Division more lead time to assess the potential anticompetitive impacts of proposed mergers. The Division is responsible for enforcing state and federal antitrust laws and evaluating whether mergers are likely to create or enhance market power.
- AG Brown stated that Washington is positioned as a national leader in antitrust enforcement and the protection of consumer interests.
- Washington’s 2019 premerger notification requirement for transactions involving hospitals, hospital systems, and provider organizations remains in effect.
- Check out this client alert by Milton Marquis and Ann-Marie Luciano about the new era in state AG premerger information sharing.