What Are Baby HSR Laws?

Baby HSR Laws

“Baby HSR” or “mini HSR” laws refer to state-level premerger notification and reporting requirements that resemble the federal Hart-Scott-Rodino Act but tend to apply to smaller transactions valued below the federal notification thresholds. These laws, often focused on specific industries like healthcare, aim to enhance state-level antitrust oversight by requiring companies to notify state authorities of mergers or acquisitions that could impact local competition. Filing obligations, timing, and fees vary by state, with some requiring detailed disclosures about the transaction’s competitive impact within the state. State authorities can investigate, challenge, or impose conditions on transactions even if they are cleared federally. Winston’s Baby HSR survey provides buyers and sellers with a resource to quickly start assessing which states may have premerger notification requirements that impact their transactions.