Our colleague Mike Gettelman blogged earlier this week about the prospect of recent SEC rulemaking being undone by the Congressional Review Act – a complicated and rarely used law that allows Congress to overturn rules adopted by federal agencies like the Commission. Mike cited 11 rules adopted by a 3-2 vote since July, which could be vulnerable to this clawback.
In the year-end report on the activities of the Office of the Investor Advocate (which is required to be delivered to committees in the House and Senate), Rick Fleming also called for the SEC to reverse several of its own rules, including:
– Rule 14a-8 Amendments – arguing the rules diminish the ability of shareholders with smaller investments to submit proposals and disagreeing with the economic analysis in the rulemaking
– Proxy Advisor Rules – saying investors shouldn’t be forced to pay for feedback mechanisms for companies and that the rules may result in the suppression of dissenting views
– Private Offering Harmonization – expressing a concern with the continued shift of capital-raising from public to private markets
The report also urges the Commission to adopt rules about ESG disclosures, making companies’ SEC filings machine-readable and minimum listing standards for all stock exchanges. Time will tell whether the SEC under the new Administration will revisit – or refine – activities under former Chair Jay Clayton, or will prioritize other initiatives.
-Liz Dunshee, TheCorporateCounsel.net January 8, 2021
