SEC Adopts New Rules for Smaller Businesses

The SEC voted to adopt three measures to modernize and improve its capital-raising, reporting and disclosure requirements for smaller companies. These measures address some of the key recommendations made by the SEC's Advisory Committee on Smaller Public Companies in its final report.  The final rules:

make scaled disclosure regulations available to an additional 1,500 smaller companies;
 
shorten the holding periods under Securities Act Rule 144 for restricted securities of public companies from one year to six months to reduce the cost of capital and to increase access to capital; and
 
create two new exemptions for compensatory employee stock options so that the Exchange Act registration requirements will not be triggered solely by a company's compensation decisions.

The new rules should be published and available at the SEC website soon.