The SEC has published for public comment its Draft Strategic Plan that outlines the agency’s strategic goals for fiscal years 2014 to 2018. To comment on the 2014-2018 Draft Strategic Plan, send an e-mail to PerformancePlanning@sec.gov by March 10, 2014.
Some of the initiatives outlined in the stategic plan include:
- Engage in rulemaking mandated by Congress: The SEC will continue to fulfill its obligations under the Dodd-Frank Act and the JOBS Act to develop and promulgate mandated rules and regulations with appropriate notice and comment and economic analysis.
- Strengthen proxy infrastructure: The SEC will consider issues related to the mechanics of proxy voting and shareholder-company communications, including the role of proxy advisory firms.
- Modernize beneficial ownership reporting: The SEC will consider how to modernize its beneficial ownership reporting requirements to, among other things, address the disclosure obligations relating to the use of equity swaps and other derivative instruments.
- Strengthen oversight of municipal advisors: The SEC will continue to enhance the program for registration and oversight of municipal advisors, with a particular focus on registering municipal advisors under the permanent registration rules and reviewing rule filings by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) to implement the permanent municipal advisor registration rules.
- Build upon the establishment and successes of the Office of the Whistleblower: The SEC will continue to encourage individuals and entities with timely, credible and specific information about potential securities law violations to provide information to the Commission to further investigations and promote more efficient use of the Commission’s limited resources.
- Update disclosure and reporting requirements to reflect the informational needs of today’s investors: The SEC will continue its efforts to enhance disclosure requirements for the benefit of investors, including a reassessment of current core corporate disclosure requirements. In proposing changes for the Commission to consider, the staff will seek to modernize disclosure requirements and eliminate redundant reporting requirements. The staff’s efforts will continue to include a review of proxy voting and shareholder communications to identify ideas and proposals for potential improvement to those rules.
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