Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and
Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI) and
Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) introduced a bill to govern the private
funds that engage in change in control transactions.
According to the bill's sponsors, private equity funds,
which claim to earn high returns for investors and make companies
more efficient, often do not serve either's best interest.
Highlighting high profile bankruptcies of Toys "R" Us,
Sears and Payless, the sponsors stated that private equity funds
often (i) put the companies they buy into debt, (ii) sell off
assets and (iii) guarantee payouts for themselves through
"exorbitant fees," regardless of how the investments
perform.