SEC Testifies At House Financial Services Committee Hearing

On September 24, 2019, all five SEC commissioners gave testimony to, and were questioned by, members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services.  Commissioner Robert J. Jackson, Jr. also gave an opening statement at the Committee hearing.

Commissioner Jackson’s Opening Statement

Commissioner Jackson’s short opening statement was consistent with his prior public views, consisting of a list of three areas in which he believes legislation should intervene to prevent corporate insiders from spending shareholder money to advance their own interests over those of investors.

His first recommendation is to shorten the current four-day 8-K filing requirement in which a company must notify the public of certain material events.  For an overview of 8-K filing categories, including the categories that require an advance filing (Regulation FD) or lesser time period than the standard four days, see HERE.  Commissioner Jackson states that there is “evidence that corporate insiders often trade during the ‘gap’ between key business events and