SEC Chair Calls on Lawmakers to Allow Agency to Proceed with Rulemaking Agenda

In a letter responding to a request from Republican Senators Richard Shelby and Mike Crapo that the SEC not pursue any additional rulemakings until the new Congress has an opportunity to review the SEC’s regulatory agenda, Chairwoman Mary Jo White detailed the rules and initiatives that are ready for SEC consideration stating that proceeding would “significantly further the Commission’s mission for the benefit of investors.” The use of derivatives by mutual funds and ETFs and electronic transmission of shareholder reports are among the outstanding items she identified.  Chair White in her letter to the lawmakers, both of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, noted that the agency has enacted rules during comparable post-election periods. She also reminded the lawmakers of the SEC’s mandate to “exhibit a spirit of firm independence” in carrying out its regulatory and other duties “without fear or favor.”