FEDERALhearing transcript

Senate Hearing on Noncompete Agreements and American Workers

Original title: NONCOMPETE AGREEMENTS AND AMERICAN WORKERS

January 1, 2020

labor law noncompete agreements small business employment economic policy

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

This hearing explores whether federal policy should regulate or limit the use of s, which currently affect the ability of workers across various wage levels to change jobs or start their own businesses.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

American workers

Workers are subject to contractual limitations on their ability to change employers or start new businesses.

Small business owners

Business owners use these agreements to protect proprietary information and investments in staff.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2020.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship held a hearing to examine the impact of s on the American workforce. The committee discussed how these agreements, which restrict employees from joining or starting competing businesses, affect worker mobility and economic opportunity.

Key Facts

The hearing took place on November 14, 2019, in the Russell Senate Office Building.
Noncompete agreements are contracts that prohibit an employee from joining or starting a competitor after leaving their current employer.
These agreements typically include specific geographic or time-based restrictions.
Traditional justifications for noncompetes include protecting trade secrets and recouping investments in employee training.
The committee is investigating the proliferation of these agreements across all sectors and wage levels.
The hearing included testimony from Keith Bollinger, Dr. Evan Starr, and John Lettieri.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a noncompete agreement?

It is a contract that prevents an employee from working for a competitor or starting a competing business for a certain period of time or within a specific geographic area after leaving their current job.

Why do companies use noncompete agreements?

Companies often use them to protect and to prevent former employees from taking specialized training or knowledge to a competitor.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Focus on Worker Mobility

The committee explicitly framed noncompete agreements as a barrier to worker well-being and economic mobility, signaling a shift toward questioning their necessity.

Marco Rubio Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Connected Entities

organizationSenate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship“The committee conducting the hearing”Map →

personBenjamin L. Cardin“Ranking Member of the Committee”Map →

personJohn Lettieri“Witness, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group”Map →

personEvan Starr“Witness, Assistant Professor at University of Maryland”Map →

personMarco Rubio“Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship”Map →

personKeith Bollinger“Witness at the hearing”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy50
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools