SEC Commissioner Daniel Gallagher and SEC Commissioner Troy Paredes have offered an alternative to the money market fund reform proposed by SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro. The reform would "(i) empower money market fund boards to impose "gates" on redemptions and (ii) mandate enhanced disclosure about the risks of investing in money market funds."
Specifically, the Commissioners would like the public to have the opportunity to comment on a proposal that would "permit money market fund boards, as they deem appropriate and consistent with their fiduciary obligations to investors and without having to seek an exemptive order from the Commission, to "gate" redemptions to stave off a run and to allow the fund manager time to mitigate the concerns of investors who otherwise may be inclined to redeem." Discretionary gating, in their opinion, could reduce the risk of money market fund runs and address the potential disparate treatment between retail and institutional investors.