Committee updates pre‑merger filing protections to match national uniform law changes

The Judiciary Committee voted unanimously, 11‑0, to advance House Bill 14‑27, which aligns Colorado’s pre‑merger notification requirements with amendments recently adopted by the Uniform Law Commission. Sponsor Representative Espinosa said the changes improve confidentiality and process clarity for companies that file a Hart‑Scott‑Rodino notice at the federal level and may be required to file in Colorado.

Under the bill sponsors described, the Attorney General must provide a secure system to receive and store sensitive merger documents; companies will get a short cure period to fix filing mistakes; the AG must return or destroy submitted materials no later than 120 days after a merger closes or related legal proceedings conclude; and the AG is not permitted to charge a fee for receiving the materials. Representatives of the Commission on Uniform State Laws and the cellular industry trade association (CTIA) testified that they participated in negotiations and support the revisions.

Sponsors said the changes are technical and protect both businesses and state confidentiality obligations while maintaining the state’s ability to examine potentially anticompetitive mergers. The committee recorded an 11‑0 vote to send the conforming bill to the Committee of the Whole.