{"id":502,"date":"2012-03-19T18:34:06","date_gmt":"2012-03-19T22:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/?p=502"},"modified":"2012-03-19T18:47:44","modified_gmt":"2012-03-19T22:47:44","slug":"h-r-3606-the-jobs-act-in-its-entirety-and-then-some","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/h-r-3606-the-jobs-act-in-its-entirety-and-then-some\/","title":{"rendered":"H.R. 3606. The Jobs ACT in its entirety and then some."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Larry Chiang got a <a title=\"pass the CARD Act for $217\" href=\"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/credit-card-card-act\/how-to-get-a-law-passed-for-217\/\" target=\"_blank\">law passed for $217<\/a> and even got to <a title=\"Larry Chiang's congressional testimony\" href=\"https:\/\/www.creditcard.org\/testimony.htm\" target=\"_blank\">testify before Congress<\/a>. He co-founded &#8220;<a title=\"street smart legal series\" href=\"https:\/\/street-smart-legal-series-engr-145-at-sxsw.eventbrite.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Street Smart Legal Series<\/a>&#8220;, <a title=\"MIT entrepreneur week\" href=\"https:\/\/mitentrepreneurshipweek.tk\/\" target=\"_blank\">MIT Entrepreneur Week<\/a> and <a title=\"UT Entrepreneur Week founder Larry Chiang\" href=\"https:\/\/uteweek.com\/committee-team\/\" target=\"_blank\">University of Texas Entrepreneur Week<\/a>. He took an MBA as independent study when he went to the University of Illinois. Harvard&#8217;s Harbus, featured him in a cover story that shares the same title as his book, <\/strong><strong>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/media.www.harbus.org\/media\/storage\/paper343\/news\/2009\/04\/06\/Features\/What-They.Dont.Teach.You.At.Stanford.Business.School-3697062.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">What They Don&#8217;t Teach You At Stanford Business School<\/a>&#8220;. If you read his hilariously awesome \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/11\/what-a-supermodel-can-teach-a-stanford-mba\/\" target=\"_blank\">What a Supermodel Can Teach a Stanford MBA<\/a>\u201d,\u00a0 or \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/gigaom.com\/2008\/02\/21\/howtoworktheroom\/\" target=\"_blank\">How to Get Man-Charm<\/a>\u201d, and copy-pasted the <a title=\"Duck9 rebate\" href=\"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/rebate\/\" target=\"_blank\">Duck9 rebate&#8230; you will love his latest post<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>H.R. 3606, Jobs Act, Read it in its entirety and then some.<\/p>\n<table style=\"height: 312px;\" width=\"234\" cellpadding=\"20\" align=\"left\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"382\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sxsw.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"default\" src=\"https:\/\/whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/12\/what-they-dont-teach-you-at-stanfor_.jpg\" alt=\"default\" width=\"208\" height=\"274\" \/><\/a><br \/> <strong>NY Times best seller: What They Don&#8217;t Teach You At Stanford Business School was launched from the NY Fashion Week runway by male heterosexual supermodel, Larry Chiang.<br \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong><strong> By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whattheydontteachyouatstanfordbusinessschool.com\/business-week-larry-chiang.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Larry Chiang<br \/> <\/a><\/strong><br \/> <\/strong>This bill is awesome and hilarious (#HiLarryAss is an internet meme).<\/p>\n<p>Most Americans call reading the entire Jobs Act a bore&#8230; Yes, fewer than 300 Americans have read this bill cover-to-cover. Remember, I make entrepreneurship education a party and <a title=\"MIT entrepreneurship\" href=\"https:\/\/voices.yahoo.com\/mits-entrepreneurship-woes-solved-sxsw-11106384.html?image=2290476&amp;cat=3\" target=\"_blank\">teach entrepreneurship to school that used to hate entrepreneurship<\/a>. I even turn boring business meetings into vacations (<a title=\"Be a vacation\" href=\"https:\/\/bub.blicio.us\/author\/larrychiang\/page\/8\/\" target=\"_blank\">Be a vacation<\/a>, I sometimes blog). Now, I make reading drafts of US law actually F-U-N<\/p>\n<p>This is the entire Jobs Act, H. R. 3606, in its entirety (and then some)<\/p>\n<p>AN ACT<\/p>\n<p>To increase American job creation and economic growth by<br \/>improving access to the public capital markets for emerging<br \/>growth companies.<\/p>\n<p>Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,<\/p>\n<p>\u2022HR 3606 EH<\/p>\n<p>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.<\/p>\n<p>This Act may be cited as the \u2018\u2018Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.<\/p>\n<p>The table of contents of this Act is as follows:<br \/>Sec. 1. Short title.<br \/>Sec. 2. Table of contents.<\/p>\n<p>TITLE I\u2014REOPENING AMERICAN CAPITAL MARKETS TO<br \/>EMERGING GROWTH COMPANIES<br \/>Sec. 101. Definitions.<br \/>Sec. 102. Disclosure obligations.<br \/>Sec. 103. Internal controls audit.<br \/>Sec. 104. Auditing standards.<br \/>Sec. 105. Availability of information about emerging growth companies.<br \/>Sec. 106. Other matters.<br \/>Sec. 107. Opt-in right for emerging growth companies.<br \/>Sec. 108. Review of Regulation S-K.<\/p>\n<p>TITLE II\u2014ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR JOB CREATORS<br \/>Sec. 201. Modification of exemption.<\/p>\n<p>TITLE III\u2014ENTREPRENEUR ACCESS TO CAPITAL<br \/>Sec. 301. Crowdfunding exemption.<br \/>Sec. 302. Exclusion of crowdfunding investors from shareholder cap.<br \/>Sec. 303. Preemption of State law.<\/p>\n<p>TITLE IV\u2014SMALL COMPANY CAPITAL FORMATION<br \/>Sec. 401. Authority to exempt certain securities.<br \/>Sec. 402. Study on the impact of State Blue Sky laws on Regulation A offerings.<\/p>\n<p>TITLE V\u2014PRIVATE COMPANY FLEXIBILITY AND GROWTH<br \/>Sec. 501. Threshold for registration.<br \/>Sec. 502. Employees.<br \/>Sec. 503. Commission rulemaking.<br \/>Sec. 504. Commission study of enforcement authority under Rule 12g5\u20131.<\/p>\n<p>TITLE VI\u2014CAPITAL EXPANSION<br \/>Sec. 601. Shareholder threshold for registration.<br \/>Sec. 602. Rulemaking.<\/p>\n<p>TITLE VII\u2014OUTREACH ON CHANGES TO THE LAW<br \/>Sec. 701. Outreach by the Commission.<br \/>HR 3606 EH<\/p>\n<p>TITLE VIII\u2014 WOULD YOU LIKE A LARRY CHIANG AFTERPARTY WITH YOUR IPO<br \/>Sec. 801. Optional appearance fee by the celebrity, Larry Chiang<br \/>Sec. 802. Optional congratulatory video recorded about your business entity by Larry Chiang<br \/>Sec. 802. Open sourcing Larry Chiang&#8217;s Gua Gua Guacamole signature entrepreneur moves so that royalty fees are zero.<br \/>****************************************<\/p>\n<p>TITLE I\u2014REOPENING AMERICAN CAPITAL MARKETS TO EMERGING GROWTH COMPANIES<\/p>\n<p>SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS.<br \/>(a) SECURITIES ACT OF 1933.\u2014Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77b(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:<br \/>\u2018\u2018(19) The term \u2018emerging growth company\u2019<br \/>means an issuer that had total annual gross revenues of less than $1,000,000,000 (as such amount<br \/>is indexed for inflation every 5 years by the Commission to reflect the change in the Consumer Price<br \/>Index for All Urban Consumers published by the<br \/>Bureau of Labor Statistics, setting the threshold to<br \/>the nearest 1,000,000) during its most recently completed fiscal year. An issuer that is an emerging<br \/>growth company as of the first day of that fiscal<br \/>year shall continue to be deemed an emerging<br \/>growth company until the earliest of\u2014<br \/>\u2018\u2018(A) the last day of the fiscal year of the<br \/>issuer during which it had total annual gross<br \/>revenues of $1,000,000,000 (as such amount is<br \/>indexed for inflation every 5 years by the Com25<br \/>mission to reflect the change in the Consumer<\/p>\n<p>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>Price Index for All Urban Consumers published<br \/>by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, setting the<br \/>threshold to the nearest 1,000,000) or more;<br \/>\u2018\u2018(B) the last day of the fiscal year of the<br \/>issuer following the fifth anniversary of the date<br \/>of the first sale of common equity securities of<br \/>the issuer pursuant to an effective registration<br \/>statement under this title;<br \/>\u2018\u2018(C) the date on which such issuer has,<br \/>during the previous 3-year period, issued more<br \/>than $1,000,000,000 in non-convertible debt; or<br \/>\u2018\u2018(D) the date on which such issuer is<br \/>deemed to be a \u2018large accelerated filer\u2019, as de14<br \/>fined in section 240.12b\u20132 of title 17, Code of<br \/>Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>(b) SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.\u2014Section<br \/>3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C.<br \/>78c(a)) is amended\u2014<br \/>(1) by redesignating paragraph (77), as added<br \/>by section 941(a) of the Investor Protection and <br \/>Securities Reform Act of 2010 (Public Law 111\u2013203,<br \/>124 Stat. 1890), as paragraph (79); and<br \/>(2) by adding at the end the following:<br \/>\u2018\u2018(80) EMERGING GROWTH COMPANY.\u2014The<br \/>term \u2018emerging growth company\u2019 means an issuer<\/p>\n<p>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>that had total annual gross revenues of less than<br \/>$1,000,000,000 (as such amount is indexed for inflation<br \/>every 5 years by the Commission to reflect<br \/>the change in the Consumer Price Index for All<br \/>Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor<br \/>Statistics, setting the threshold to the nearest<br \/>1,000,000) during its most recently completed fiscal<br \/>year. An issuer that is an emerging growth company<br \/>as of the first day of that fiscal year shall continue<br \/>to be deemed an emerging growth company until the<br \/>earliest of\u2014<br \/>\u2018\u2018(A) the last day of the fiscal year of the<br \/>issuer during which it had total annual gross<br \/>revenues of $1,000,000,000 (as such amount is<br \/>indexed for inflation every 5 years by the Commission<br \/> to reflect the change in the Consumer<br \/>Price Index for All Urban Consumers published<br \/>by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, setting the<br \/>threshold to the nearest 1,000,000) or more;<br \/>\u2018\u2018(B) the last day of the fiscal year of the<br \/>issuer following the fifth anniversary of the date<br \/>of the first sale of common equity securities of<br \/>the issuer pursuant to an effective registration<br \/>statement under the Securities Act of 1933;<\/p>\n<p>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 \u2018\u2018(C) the date on which such issuer has,<br \/>2 during the previous 3-year period, issued more<br \/>3 than $1,000,000,000 in non-convertible debt; or<br \/>4 \u2018\u2018(D) the date on which such issuer is<br \/>5 deemed to be a \u2018large accelerated filer\u2019, as de<br \/>fined in section 240.12b\u20132 of title 17, Code of<br \/>7 Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>8 (c) OTHER DEFINITIONS.\u2014As used in this title, the<br \/>9 following definitions shall apply:<br \/>10 (1) COMMISSION.\u2014The term \u2018\u2018Commission\u2019\u2019<br \/>11 means the Securities and Exchange Commission.<br \/>12 (2) INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING DATE.\u2014The<br \/>13 term \u2018\u2018initial public offering date\u2019\u2019 means the date of<br \/>14 the first sale of common equity securities of an<br \/>15 issuer pursuant to an effective registration state16<br \/>ment under the Securities Act of 1933.<br \/>17 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.\u2014Notwithstanding section<br \/>18 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act of 1933 and section<br \/>19 3(a)(80) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, an issuer<br \/>20 shall not be an emerging growth company for purposes<br \/>21 of such Acts if the first sale of common equity securities<br \/>22 of such issuer pursuant to an effective registration statement<br \/> under the Securities Act of 1933 occurred on or <br \/>before December 8, 2011.<br \/>7<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 SEC. 102. DISCLOSURE OBLIGATIONS.<br \/>2 (a) EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.\u2014<br \/>3 (1) EXEMPTION.\u2014Section 14A(e) of the Securi4<br \/>ties Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78n\u20131(e)) is<br \/>5 amended\u2014<br \/>6 (A) by striking \u2018\u2018The Commission may\u2019\u2019<br \/>7 and inserting the following:<br \/>8 \u2018\u2018(1) IN GENERAL.\u2014 The Commission may\u2019\u2019;<br \/>9 (B) by striking \u2018\u2018an issuer\u2019\u2019 and inserting<br \/>10 \u2018\u2018any other issuer\u2019\u2019; and<br \/>11 (C) by adding at the end the following:<br \/>12 \u2018\u2018(2) TREATMENT OF EMERGING GROWTH COMPANIES.\u2014<br \/>14 \u2018\u2018(A) IN GENERAL.\u2014An emerging growth<br \/>15 company shall be exempt from the requirements<br \/>16 of subsections (a) and (b).<br \/>17 \u2018\u2018(B) COMPLIANCE AFTER TERMINATION<br \/>18 OF EMERGING GROWTH COMPANY TREATMENT.<br \/>\u2014An issuer that was an emerging growth<br \/>20 company but is no longer an emerging growth<br \/>21 company shall include the first separate resolu22<br \/>tion described under subsection (a)(1) not later<br \/>23 than the end of\u2014<br \/>24 \u2018\u2018(i) in the case of an issuer that was<br \/>25 an emerging growth company for less than<br \/>26 2 years after the date of first sale of com8<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 mon equity securities of the issuer pursu2<br \/>ant to an effective registration statement<br \/>3 under the Securities Act of 1933, the 3-<br \/>4 year period beginning on such date; and<br \/>5 \u2018\u2018(ii) in the case of any other issuer,<br \/>6 the 1-year period beginning on the date the<br \/>7 issuer is no longer an emerging growth<br \/>8 company.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>9 (2) PROXIES.\u2014Section 14(i) of the Securities<br \/>10 Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78n(i)) is amend11<br \/>ed by inserting \u2018\u2018, for any issuer other than an<br \/>12 emerging growth company,\u2019\u2019 after \u2018\u2018including\u2019\u2019.<br \/>13 (3) COMPENSATION DISCLOSURES.\u2014Section<br \/>14 953(b)(1) of the Investor Protection and Securities<br \/>15 Reform Act of 2010 (Public Law 111\u2013203; 124<br \/>16 Stat. 1904) is amended by inserting \u2018\u2018, other than<br \/>17 an emerging growth company, as that term is de18<br \/>fined in section 3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act<br \/>19 of 1934,\u2019\u2019 after \u2018\u2018require each issuer\u2019\u2019.<br \/>20 (b) FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES AND ACCOUNTING<br \/>21 PRONOUNCEMENTS.\u2014<br \/>22 (1) SECURITIES ACT OF 1933.\u2014Section 7(a) of<br \/>23 the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77g(a)) is<br \/>24 amended\u2014<br \/>9<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 (A) by striking \u2018\u2018(a) The registration\u2019\u2019 and<br \/>2 inserting the following:<br \/>3 \u2018\u2018(a) INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION<br \/>4 STATEMENT.\u2014<br \/>5 \u2018\u2018(1) IN GENERAL.\u2014The registration\u2019\u2019; and<br \/>6 (B) by adding at the end the following:<br \/>7 \u2018\u2018(2) TREATMENT OF EMERGING GROWTH COM8<br \/>PANIES.\u2014An emerging growth company\u2014<br \/>9 \u2018\u2018(A) need not present more than 2 years<br \/>10 of audited financial statements in order for the<br \/>11 registration statement of such emerging growth<br \/>12 company with respect to an initial public offer13<br \/>ing of its common equity securities to be effec14<br \/>tive, and in any other registration statement to<br \/>15 be filed with the Commission, an emerging<br \/>16 growth company need not present selected fi17<br \/>nancial data in accordance with section 229.301<br \/>18 of title 17, Code of Federal Regulations, for<br \/>19 any period prior to the earliest audited period<br \/>20 presented in connection with its initial public<br \/>21 offering; and<br \/>22 \u2018\u2018(B) may not be required to comply with<br \/>23 any new or revised financial accounting stand24<br \/>ard until such date that a company that is not<br \/>25 an issuer (as defined under section 2(a) of the<br \/>10<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C.<br \/>2 7201(a)) is required to comply with such new<br \/>3 or revised accounting standard, if such stand4<br \/>ard applies to companies that are not issuers.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>5 (2) SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.\u2014Sec6<br \/>tion 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934<br \/>7 (15 U.S.C. 78m(a)) is amended by adding at the<br \/>8 end the following: \u2018\u2018In any registration statement,<br \/>9 periodic report, or other reports to be filed with the<br \/>10 Commission, an emerging growth company need not<br \/>11 present selected financial data in accordance with<br \/>12 section 229.301 of title 17, Code of Federal Regula13<br \/>tions, for any period prior to the earliest audited pe14<br \/>riod presented in connection with its first registra15<br \/>tion statement that became effective under this Act<br \/>16 or the Securities Act of 1933 and, with respect to<br \/>17 any such statement or reports, an emerging growth<br \/>18 company may not be required to comply with any<br \/>19 new or revised financial accounting standard until<br \/>20 such date that a company that is not an issuer (as<br \/>21 defined under section 2(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley<br \/>22 Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C. 7201(a))) is required to<br \/>23 comply with such new or revised accounting stand24<br \/>ard, if such standard applies to companies that are<br \/>25 not issuers.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>11<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 (c) OTHER DISCLOSURES.\u2014An emerging growth<br \/>2 company may comply with section 229.303(a) of title 17,<br \/>3 Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto, by<br \/>4 providing information required by such section with re5<br \/>spect to the financial statements of the emerging growth<br \/>6 company for each period presented pursuant to section<br \/>7 7(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77g(a)). An<br \/>8 emerging growth company may comply with section<br \/>9 229.402 of title 17, Code of Federal Regulations, or any<br \/>10 successor thereto, by disclosing the same information as<br \/>11 any issuer with a market value of outstanding voting and<br \/>12 nonvoting common equity held by non-affiliates of less<br \/>13 than $75,000,000.<br \/>14 SEC. 103. INTERNAL CONTROLS AUDIT.<br \/>15 Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002<br \/>16 (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) is amended by inserting \u2018\u2018, other than<br \/>17 an issuer that is an emerging growth company (as defined<br \/>18 in section 3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934),\u2019\u2019<br \/>19 before \u2018\u2018shall attest to\u2019\u2019.<br \/>20 SEC. 104. AUDITING STANDARDS.<br \/>21 Section 103(a)(3) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002<br \/>22 (15 U.S.C. 7213(a)(3)) is amended by adding at the end<br \/>23 the following:<br \/>24 \u2018\u2018(C) TRANSITION PERIOD FOR EMERGING<br \/>25 GROWTH COMPANIES.\u2014Any rules of the Board<br \/>12<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a<br \/>2 supplement to the auditor\u2019s report in which the<br \/>3 auditor would be required to provide additional<br \/>4 information about the audit and the financial<br \/>5 statements of the issuer (auditor discussion and<br \/>6 analysis) shall not apply to an audit of an<br \/>7 emerging growth company, as defined in section<br \/>8 3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Any<br \/>9 additional rules adopted by the Board after the<br \/>10 date of enactment of this subparagraph shall<br \/>11 not apply to an audit of any emerging growth<br \/>12 company, unless the Commission determines<br \/>13 that the application of such additional require14<br \/>ments is necessary or appropriate in the public<br \/>15 interest, after considering the protection of in16<br \/>vestors and whether the action will promote ef17<br \/>ficiency, competition, and capital formation.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>18 SEC. 105. AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION ABOUT EMERG19<br \/>ING GROWTH COMPANIES.<br \/>20 (a) PROVISION OF RESEARCH.\u2014Section 2(a)(3) of<br \/>21 the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77b(a)(3)) is<br \/>22 amended by adding at the end the following: \u2018\u2018The publica23<br \/>tion or distribution by a broker or dealer of a research<br \/>24 report about an emerging growth company that is the sub25<br \/>ject of a proposed public offering of the common equity<br \/>13<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 securities of such emerging growth company pursuant to<br \/>2 a registration statement that the issuer proposes to file,<br \/>3 or has filed, or that is effective shall be deemed for pur4<br \/>poses of paragraph (10) of this subsection and section 5(c)<br \/>5 not to constitute an offer for sale or offer to sell a security,<br \/>6 even if the broker or dealer is participating or will partici7<br \/>pate in the registered offering of the securities of the<br \/>8 issuer. As used in this paragraph, the term \u2018research re9<br \/>port\u2019 means a written, electronic, or oral communication<br \/>10 that includes information, opinions, or recommendations<br \/>11 with respect to securities of an issuer or an analysis of<br \/>12 a security or an issuer, whether or not it provides informa13<br \/>tion reasonably sufficient upon which to base an invest14<br \/>ment decision.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>15 (b) SECURITIES ANALYST COMMUNICATIONS.\u2014Sec16<br \/>tion 15D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15<br \/>17 U.S.C. 78o\u20136) is amended\u2014<br \/>18 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub19<br \/>section (d); and<br \/>20 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol21<br \/>lowing:<br \/>22 \u2018\u2018(c) LIMITATION.\u2014Notwithstanding subsection (a)<br \/>23 or any other provision of law, neither the Commission nor<br \/>24 any national securities association registered under section<br \/>25 15A may adopt or maintain any rule or regulation in con14<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 nection with an initial public offering of the common eq2<br \/>uity of an emerging growth company\u2014<br \/>3 \u2018\u2018(1) restricting, based on functional role, which<br \/>4 associated persons of a broker, dealer, or member of<br \/>5 a national securities association, may arrange for<br \/>6 communications between a securities analyst and a<br \/>7 potential investor; or<br \/>8 \u2018\u2018(2) restricting a securities analyst from par9<br \/>ticipating in any communications with the manage10<br \/>ment of an emerging growth company that is also<br \/>11 attended by any other associated person of a broker,<br \/>12 dealer, or member of a national securities associa13<br \/>tion whose functional role is other than as a securi14<br \/>ties analyst.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>15 (c) EXPANDING PERMISSIBLE COMMUNICATIONS.\u2014<br \/>16 Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77e)<br \/>17 is amended\u2014<br \/>18 (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub19<br \/>section (e); and<br \/>20 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol21<br \/>lowing:<br \/>22 \u2018\u2018(d) LIMITATION.\u2014Notwithstanding any other provi23<br \/>sion of this section, an emerging growth company or any<br \/>24 person authorized to act on behalf of an emerging growth<br \/>25 company may engage in oral or written communications<br \/>15<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 with potential investors that are qualified institutional<br \/>2 buyers or institutions that are accredited investors, as<br \/>3 such terms are respectively defined in section 230.144A<br \/>4 and section 230.501(a) of title 17, Code of Federal Regu5<br \/>lations, or any successor thereto, to determine whether<br \/>6 such investors might have an interest in a contemplated<br \/>7 securities offering, either prior to or following the date of<br \/>8 filing of a registration statement with respect to such se9<br \/>curities with the Commission, subject to the requirement<br \/>10 of subsection (b)(2).\u2019\u2019.<br \/>11 (d) POST OFFERING COMMUNICATIONS.\u2014Neither<br \/>12 the Commission nor any national securities association<br \/>13 registered under section 15A of the Securities Exchange<br \/>14 Act of 1934 may adopt or maintain any rule or regulation<br \/>15 prohibiting any broker, dealer, or member of a national<br \/>16 securities association from publishing or distributing any<br \/>17 research report or making a public appearance, with re18<br \/>spect to the securities of an emerging growth company,<br \/>19 either\u2014<br \/>20 (1) within any prescribed period of time fol21<br \/>lowing the initial public offering date of the emerg22<br \/>ing growth company; or<br \/>23 (2) within any prescribed period of time prior<br \/>24 to the expiration date of any agreement between the<br \/>25 broker, dealer, or member of a national securities as16<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 sociation and the emerging growth company or its<br \/>2 shareholders that restricts or prohibits the sale of<br \/>3 securities held by the emerging growth company or<br \/>4 its shareholders after the initial public offering date.<br \/>5 SEC. 106. OTHER MATTERS.<br \/>6 (a) DRAFT REGISTRATION STATEMENTS.\u2014Section 6<br \/>7 of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77f) is amended<br \/>8 by adding at the end the following:<br \/>9 \u2018\u2018(e) EMERGING GROWTH COMPANIES.\u2014<br \/>10 \u2018\u2018(1) IN GENERAL.\u2014Any emerging growth com11<br \/>pany, prior to its initial public offering date, may<br \/>12 confidentially submit to the Commission a draft reg13<br \/>istration statement, for confidential nonpublic review<br \/>14 by the staff of the Commission prior to public filing,<br \/>15 provided that the initial confidential submission and<br \/>16 all amendments thereto shall be publicly filed with<br \/>17 the Commission not later than 21 days before the<br \/>18 date on which the issuer conducts a road show, as<br \/>19 such term is defined in section 230.433(h)(4) of title<br \/>20 17, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor<br \/>21 thereto.<br \/>22 \u2018\u2018(2) CONFIDENTIALITY.\u2014Notwithstanding any<br \/>23 other provision of this title, the Commission shall<br \/>24 not be compelled to disclose any information pro25<br \/>vided to or obtained by the Commission pursuant to<br \/>17<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 this subsection. For purposes of section 552 of title<br \/>2 5, United States Code, this subsection shall be con3<br \/>sidered a statute described in subsection (b)(3)(B)<br \/>4 of such section 552. Information described in or ob5<br \/>tained pursuant to this subsection shall be deemed<br \/>6 to constitute confidential information for purposes of<br \/>7 section 24(b)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of<br \/>8 1934.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>9 (b) TICK SIZE.\u2014Section 11A(c) of the Securities Ex10<br \/>change Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78k\u20131(c)) is amended by<br \/>11 adding at the end the following new paragraph:<br \/>12 \u2018\u2018(6) TICK SIZE.\u2014<br \/>13 \u2018\u2018(A) STUDY AND REPORT.\u2014The Commis14<br \/>sion shall conduct a study examining the transi15<br \/>tion to trading and quoting securities in one<br \/>16 penny increments, also known as<br \/>17 decimalization. The study shall examine the im18<br \/>pact that decimalization has had on the number<br \/>19 of initial public offerings since its implementa20<br \/>tion relative to the period before its implemen21<br \/>tation. The study shall also examine the impact<br \/>22 that this change has had on liquidity for small<br \/>23 and middle capitalization company securities<br \/>24 and whether there is sufficient economic incen25<br \/>tive to support trading operations in these secu18<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 rities in penny increments. Not later than 90<br \/>2 days after the date of enactment of this para3<br \/>graph, the Commission shall submit to Con4<br \/>gress a report on the findings of the study.<br \/>5 \u2018\u2018(B) DESIGNATION.\u2014If the Commission<br \/>6 determines that the securities of emerging<br \/>7 growth companies should be quoted and traded<br \/>8 using a minimum increment of greater than<br \/>9 $0.01, the Commission may, by rule not later<br \/>10 than 180 days after the date of enactment of<br \/>11 this paragraph, designate a minimum increment<br \/>12 for the securities of emerging growth companies<br \/>13 that is greater than $0.01 but less than $0.10<br \/>14 for use in all quoting and trading of securities<br \/>15 in any exchange or other execution venue.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>16 SEC. 107. OPT-IN RIGHT FOR EMERGING GROWTH COMPA17<br \/>NIES.<br \/>18 (a) IN GENERAL.\u2014With respect to an exemption pro19<br \/>vided to emerging growth companies under this title, or<br \/>20 an amendment made by this title, an emerging growth<br \/>21 company may choose to forgo such exemption and instead<br \/>22 comply with the requirements that apply to an issuer that<br \/>23 is not an emerging growth company.<br \/>24 (b) SPECIAL RULE.\u2014Notwithstanding subsection (a),<br \/>25 with respect to the extension of time to comply with new<br \/>19<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 or revised financial accounting standards provided under<br \/>2 section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933 and sec3<br \/>tion 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as<br \/>4 added by section 102(b), if an emerging growth company<br \/>5 chooses to comply with such standards to the same extent<br \/>6 that a non-emerging growth company is required to com7<br \/>ply with such standards, the emerging growth company\u2014<br \/>8 (1) must make such choice at the time the com9<br \/>pany is first required to file a registration state10<br \/>ment, periodic report, or other report with the Com11<br \/>mission under section 13 of the Securities Exchange<br \/>12 Act of 1934 and notify the Securities and Exchange<br \/>13 Commission of such choice;<br \/>14 (2) may not select some standards to comply<br \/>15 with in such manner and not others, but must com16<br \/>ply with all such standards to the same extent that<br \/>17 a non-emerging growth company is required to com18<br \/>ply with such standards; and<br \/>19 (3) must continue to comply with such stand20<br \/>ards to the same extent that a non-emerging growth<br \/>21 company is required to comply with such standards<br \/>22 for as long as the company remains an emerging<br \/>23 growth company.<br \/>20<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 SEC. 108. REVIEW OF REGULATION S-K.<br \/>2 (a) REVIEW.\u2014The Securities and Exchange Commis3<br \/>sion shall conduct a review of its Regulation S-K (17 CFR<br \/>4 229.10 et seq.) to\u2014<br \/>5 (1) comprehensively analyze the current reg6<br \/>istration requirements of such regulation; and<br \/>7 (2) determine how such requirements can be<br \/>8 updated to modernize and simplify the registration<br \/>9 process and reduce the costs and other burdens as10<br \/>sociated with these requirements for issuers who are<br \/>11 emerging growth companies.<br \/>12 (b) REPORT.\u2014Not later the 180 days after the date<br \/>13 of enactment of this title, the Commission shall transmit<br \/>14 to Congress a report of the review conducted under sub15<br \/>section (a). The report shall include the specific rec16<br \/>ommendations of the Commission on how to streamline<br \/>17 the registration process in order to make it more efficient<br \/>18 and less burdensome for the Commission and for prospec19<br \/>tive issuers who are emerging growth companies.<br \/>20 TITLE II\u2014ACCESS TO CAPITAL<br \/>21 FOR JOB CREATORS<br \/>22 SEC. 201. MODIFICATION OF EXEMPTION.<br \/>23 (a) MODIFICATION OF RULES.\u2014<br \/>24 (1) Not later than 90 days after the date of the<br \/>25 enactment of this Act, the Securities and Exchange<br \/>26 Commission shall revise its rules issued in section<br \/>21<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 230.506 of title 17, Code of Federal Regulations, to<br \/>2 provide that the prohibition against general solicita3<br \/>tion or general advertising contained in section<br \/>4 230.502(c) of such title shall not apply to offers and<br \/>5 sales of securities made pursuant to section 230.506,<br \/>6 provided that all purchasers of the securities are ac7<br \/>credited investors. Such rules shall require the issuer<br \/>8 to take reasonable steps to verify that purchasers of<br \/>9 the securities are accredited investors, using such<br \/>10 methods as determined by the Commission. Section<br \/>11 230.506 of title 17, Code of Federal Regulations, as<br \/>12 revised pursuant to this section, shall continue to be<br \/>13 treated as a regulation issued under section 4(2) of<br \/>14 the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77d(2)).<br \/>15 (2) Not later than 90 days after the date of en16<br \/>actment of this Act, the Securities and Exchange<br \/>17 Commission shall revise subsection (d)(1) of section<br \/>18 230.144A of title 17, Code of Federal Regulations,<br \/>19 to provide that securities sold under such revised ex20<br \/>emption may be offered to persons other than quali21<br \/>fied institutional buyers, including by means of gen22<br \/>eral solicitation or general advertising, provided that<br \/>23 securities are sold only to persons that the seller and<br \/>24 any person acting on behalf of the seller reasonably<br \/>25 believe is a qualified institutional buyer.<br \/>22<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 (b) CONSISTENCY IN INTERPRETATION.\u2014Section 4<br \/>2 of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77d) is amend3<br \/>ed\u2014<br \/>4 (1) by striking \u2018\u2018The provisions of section 5\u2019\u2019<br \/>5 and inserting \u2018\u2018(a) The provisions of section 5\u2019\u2019; and<br \/>6 (2) by adding at the end the following:<br \/>7 \u2018\u2018(b) Offers and sales exempt under section 230.506<br \/>8 of title 17, Code of Federal Regulations (as revised pursu9<br \/>ant to section 201 of the Jumpstart Our Business<br \/>10 Startups Act) shall not be deemed public offerings under<br \/>11 the Federal securities laws as a result of general adver12<br \/>tising or general solicitation.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>13 (c) EXPLANATION OF EXEMPTION.\u2014Section 4 of the<br \/>14 Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77d) is amended\u2014<br \/>15 (1) by striking \u2018\u2018The provisions of section 5\u2019\u2019<br \/>16 and inserting \u2018\u2018(a) The provisions of section 5\u2019\u2019; and<br \/>17 (2) by adding at the end the following:<br \/>18 \u2018\u2018(b)(1) With respect to securities offered and sold in<br \/>19 compliance with Rule 506 of Regulation D under this Act,<br \/>20 no person who meets the conditions set forth in paragraph<br \/>21 (2) shall be subject to registration as a broker or dealer<br \/>22 pursuant to section 15(a)(1) of this title, solely because\u2014<br \/>23 \u2018\u2018(A) that person maintains a platform or<br \/>24 mechanism that permits the offer, sale, pur25<br \/>chase, or negotiation of or with respect to secu23<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 rities, or permits general solicitations, general<br \/>2 advertisements, or similar or related activities<br \/>3 by issuers of such securities, whether online, in<br \/>4 person, or through any other means;<br \/>5 \u2018\u2018(B) that person or any person associated<br \/>6 with that person co-invests in such securities; or<br \/>7 \u2018\u2018(C) that person or any person associated<br \/>8 with that person provides ancillary services with<br \/>9 respect to such securities.<br \/>10 \u2018\u2018(2) The exemption provided in paragraph (1) shall<br \/>11 apply to any person described in such paragraph if\u2014<br \/>12 \u2018\u2018(A) such person and each person associated<br \/>13 with that person receives no compensation in connec14<br \/>tion with the purchase or sale of such security;<br \/>15 \u2018\u2018(B) such person and each person associated<br \/>16 with that person does not have possession of cus17<br \/>tomer funds or securities in connection with the pur18<br \/>chase or sale of such security; and<br \/>19 \u2018\u2018(C) such person is not subject to a statutory<br \/>20 disqualification as defined in section 3(a)(39) of this<br \/>21 title and does not have any person associated with<br \/>22 that person subject to such a statutory disqualifica23<br \/>tion.<br \/>24 \u2018\u2018(3) For the purposes of this subsection, the term<br \/>25 \u2018ancillary services\u2019 means\u2014<br \/>24<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 \u2018\u2018(A) the provision of due diligence services, in<br \/>2 connection with the offer, sale, purchase, or negotia3<br \/>tion of such security, so long as such services do not<br \/>4 include, for separate compensation, investment ad5<br \/>vice or recommendations to issuers or investors; and<br \/>6 \u2018\u2018(B) the provision of standardized documents<br \/>7 to the issuers and investors, so long as such person<br \/>8 or entity does not negotiate the terms of the<br \/>9 issuance for and on behalf of third parties and<br \/>10 issuers are not required to use the standardized doc11<br \/>uments as a condition of using the service.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>12 TITLE III\u2014ENTREPRENEUR<br \/>13 ACCESS TO CAPITAL<br \/>14 SEC. 301. CROWDFUNDING EXEMPTION.<br \/>15 (a) SECURITIES ACT OF 1933.\u2014Section 4 of the Se16<br \/>curities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77d) (as amended by sec17<br \/>tion 201) is further amended by adding at the end the<br \/>18 following:<br \/>19 \u2018\u2018(6) transactions involving the offer or sale of<br \/>20 securities by an issuer, provided that\u2014<br \/>21 \u2018\u2018(A) the aggregate amount sold within the<br \/>22 previous 12-month period in reliance upon this<br \/>23 exemption is\u2014<br \/>24 \u2018\u2018(i) $1,000,000, as such amount is<br \/>25 adjusted by the Commission to reflect the<br \/>25<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 annual change in the Consumer Price<br \/>2 Index for All Urban Consumers published<br \/>3 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or less;<br \/>4 or<br \/>5 \u2018\u2018(ii) if the issuer provides potential<br \/>6 investors with audited financial statements,<br \/>7 $2,000,000, as such amount is adjusted by<br \/>8 the Commission to reflect the annual<br \/>9 change in the Consumer Price Index for<br \/>10 All Urban Consumers published by the Bu11<br \/>reau of Labor Statistics, or less;<br \/>12 \u2018\u2018(B) the aggregate amount sold to any in13<br \/>vestor in reliance on this exemption within the<br \/>14 previous 12-month period does not exceed the<br \/>15 lesser of\u2014<br \/>16 \u2018\u2018(i) $10,000, as such amount is ad17<br \/>justed by the Commission to reflect the an18<br \/>nual change in the Consumer Price Index<br \/>19 for All Urban Consumers published by the<br \/>20 Bureau of Labor Statistics; and<br \/>21 \u2018\u2018(ii) 10 percent of such investor\u2019s an22<br \/>nual income;<br \/>23 \u2018\u2018(C) in the case of a transaction involving<br \/>24 an intermediary between the issuer and the in26<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 vestor, such intermediary complies with the re2<br \/>quirements under section 4A(a); and<br \/>3 \u2018\u2018(D) in the case of a transaction not in4<br \/>volving an intermediary between the issuer and<br \/>5 the investor, the issuer complies with the re6<br \/>quirements under section 4A(b).\u2019\u2019.<br \/>7 (b) REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY FOR<br \/>8 CROWDFUNDING EXEMPTION.\u2014The Securities Act of<br \/>9 1933 is amended by inserting after section 4 the following:<br \/>10 \u2018\u2018SEC. 4A. REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN<br \/>11 SMALL TRANSACTIONS.<br \/>12 \u2018\u2018(a) REQUIREMENTS ON INTERMEDIARIES.\u2014For<br \/>13 purposes of section 4(6), a person acting as an inter14<br \/>mediary in a transaction involving the offer or sale of secu15<br \/>rities shall comply with the requirements of this subsection<br \/>16 if the intermediary\u2014<br \/>17 \u2018\u2018(1) warns investors, including on the<br \/>18 intermediary\u2019s website used for the offer and sale of<br \/>19 such securities, of the speculative nature generally<br \/>20 applicable to investments in startups, emerging busi21<br \/>nesses, and small issuers, including risks in the sec22<br \/>ondary market related to illiquidity;<br \/>23 \u2018\u2018(2) warns investors that they are subject to<br \/>24 the restriction on sales requirement described under<br \/>25 subsection (e);<br \/>27<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 \u2018\u2018(3) takes reasonable measures to reduce the<br \/>2 risk of fraud with respect to such transaction;<br \/>3 \u2018\u2018(4) provides the Commission with the<br \/>4 intermediary\u2019s physical address, website address,<br \/>5 and the names of the intermediary and employees of<br \/>6 the intermediary, and keep such information up-to7<br \/>date;<br \/>8 \u2018\u2018(5) provides the Commission with continuous<br \/>9 investor-level access to the intermediary\u2019s website;<br \/>10 \u2018\u2018(6) requires each potential investor to answer<br \/>11 questions demonstrating\u2014<br \/>12 \u2018\u2018(A) an understanding of the level of risk<br \/>13 generally applicable to investments in startups,<br \/>14 emerging businesses, and small issuers;<br \/>15 \u2018\u2018(B) an understanding of the risk of<br \/>16 illiquidity; and<br \/>17 \u2018\u2018(C) such other areas as the Commission<br \/>18 may determine appropriate by rule or regula19<br \/>tion;<br \/>20 \u2018\u2018(7) requires the issuer to state a target offer21<br \/>ing amount and a deadline to reach the target offer22<br \/>ing amount and ensure the third party custodian de23<br \/>scribed under paragraph (10) withholds offering pro24<br \/>ceeds until aggregate capital raised from investors<br \/>28<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 other than the issuer is no less than 60 percent of<br \/>2 the target offering amount;<br \/>3 \u2018\u2018(8) carries out a background check on the<br \/>4 issuer\u2019s principals;<br \/>5 \u2018\u2018(9) provides the Commission and potential in6<br \/>vestors with notice of the offering, not later than the<br \/>7 first day securities are offered to potential investors,<br \/>8 including\u2014<br \/>9 \u2018\u2018(A) the issuer\u2019s name, legal status, phys10<br \/>ical address, and website address;<br \/>11 \u2018\u2018(B) the names of the issuer\u2019s principals;<br \/>12 \u2018\u2018(C) the stated purpose and intended use<br \/>13 of the proceeds of the offering sought by the<br \/>14 issuer; and<br \/>15 \u2018\u2018(D) the target offering amount and the<br \/>16 deadline to reach the target offering amount;<br \/>17 \u2018\u2018(10) outsources cash-management functions to<br \/>18 a qualified third party custodian, such as a broker<br \/>19 or dealer registered under section 15(b)(1) of the<br \/>20 Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or an insured de21<br \/>pository institution;<br \/>22 \u2018\u2018(11) maintains such books and records as the<br \/>23 Commission determines appropriate;<br \/>24 \u2018\u2018(12) makes available on the intermediary\u2019s<br \/>25 website a method of communication that permits the<br \/>29<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 issuer and investors to communicate with one an2<br \/>other;<br \/>3 \u2018\u2018(13) provides the Commission with a notice<br \/>4 upon completion of the offering, which shall include<br \/>5 the aggregate offering amount and the number of<br \/>6 purchasers; and<br \/>7 \u2018\u2018(14) does not offer investment advice.<br \/>8 \u2018\u2018(b) REQUIREMENTS ON ISSUERS IF NO INTER9<br \/>MEDIARY.\u2014For purposes of section 4(6), an issuer who<br \/>10 offers or sells securities without an intermediary shall<br \/>11 comply with the requirements of this subsection if the<br \/>12 issuer\u2014<br \/>13 \u2018\u2018(1) warns investors, including on the issuer\u2019s<br \/>14 website, of the speculative nature generally applica15<br \/>ble to investments in startups, emerging businesses,<br \/>16 and small issuers, including risks in the secondary<br \/>17 market related to illiquidity;<br \/>18 \u2018\u2018(2) warns investors that they are subject to<br \/>19 the restriction on sales requirement described under<br \/>20 subsection (e);<br \/>21 \u2018\u2018(3) takes reasonable measures to reduce the<br \/>22 risk of fraud with respect to such transaction;<br \/>23 \u2018\u2018(4) provides the Commission with the issuer\u2019s<br \/>24 physical address, website address, and the names of<br \/>30<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 the principals and employees of the issuers, and<br \/>2 keeps such information up-to-date;<br \/>3 \u2018\u2018(5) provides the Commission with continuous<br \/>4 investor-level access to the issuer\u2019s website;<br \/>5 \u2018\u2018(6) requires each potential investor to answer<br \/>6 questions demonstrating\u2014<br \/>7 \u2018\u2018(A) an understanding of the level of risk<br \/>8 generally applicable to investments in startups,<br \/>9 emerging businesses, and small issuers;<br \/>10 \u2018\u2018(B) an understanding of the risk of<br \/>11 illiquidity; and<br \/>12 \u2018\u2018(C) such other areas as the Commission<br \/>13 may determine appropriate by rule or regula14<br \/>tion;<br \/>15 \u2018\u2018(7) states a target offering amount and en16<br \/>sures that the third party custodian described under<br \/>17 paragraph (9) withholds offering proceeds until the<br \/>18 aggregate capital raised from investors other than<br \/>19 the issuer is no less than 60 percent of the target<br \/>20 offering amount;<br \/>21 \u2018\u2018(8) provides the Commission with notice of the<br \/>22 offering, not later than the first day securities are<br \/>23 offered to potential investors, including\u2014<br \/>31<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 \u2018\u2018(A) the stated purpose and intended use<br \/>2 of the proceeds of the offering sought by the<br \/>3 issuer; and<br \/>4 \u2018\u2018(B) the target offering amount and the<br \/>5 deadline to reach the target offering amount;<br \/>6 \u2018\u2018(9) outsources cash-management functions to<br \/>7 a qualified third party custodian, such as a broker<br \/>8 or dealer registered under section 15(b)(1) of the<br \/>9 Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or an insured de10<br \/>pository institution;<br \/>11 \u2018\u2018(10) maintains such books and records as the<br \/>12 Commission determines appropriate;<br \/>13 \u2018\u2018(11) makes available on the issuer\u2019s website a<br \/>14 method of communication that permits the issuer<br \/>15 and investors to communicate with one another;<br \/>16 \u2018\u2018(12) does not offer investment advice;<br \/>17 \u2018\u2018(13) provides the Commission with a notice<br \/>18 upon completion of the offering, which shall include<br \/>19 the aggregate offering amount and the number of<br \/>20 purchasers; and<br \/>21 \u2018\u2018(14) discloses to potential investors, on the<br \/>22 issuer\u2019s website, that the issuer has an interest in<br \/>23 the issuance.<br \/>24 \u2018\u2018(c) VERIFICATION OF INCOME.\u2014For purposes of<br \/>25 section 4(6), an issuer or intermediary may rely on certifi32<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 cations as to annual income provided by the person to<br \/>2 whom the securities are sold to verify the investor\u2019s in3<br \/>come.<br \/>4 \u2018\u2018(d) INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO STATES.\u2014The<br \/>5 Commission shall make the notices described under sub6<br \/>sections (a)(9), (a)(13), (b)(8), and (b)(13) and the infor7<br \/>mation described under subsections (a)(4) and (b)(4)<br \/>8 available to the States.<br \/>9 \u2018\u2018(e) RESTRICTION ON SALES.\u2014With respect to a<br \/>10 transaction involving the issuance of securities described<br \/>11 under section 4(6), a purchaser may not transfer such se12<br \/>curities during the 1-year period beginning on the date<br \/>13 of purchase, unless such securities are sold to\u2014<br \/>14 \u2018\u2018(1) the issuer of such securities; or<br \/>15 \u2018\u2018(2) an accredited investor.<br \/>16 \u2018\u2018(f) CONSTRUCTION.\u2014<br \/>17 \u2018\u2018(1) NO REGISTRATION AS BROKER.\u2014With re18<br \/>spect to a transaction described under section 4(6)<br \/>19 involving an intermediary, such intermediary shall<br \/>20 not be required to register as a broker under section<br \/>21 15(a)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934<br \/>22 solely by reason of participation in such transaction.<br \/>23 \u2018\u2018(2) NO PRECLUSION OF OTHER CAPITAL RAIS24<br \/>ING.\u2014Nothing in this section or section 4(6) shall<br \/>25 be construed as preventing an issuer from raising<br \/>33<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 capital through methods not described under section<br \/>2 4(6).\u2019\u2019.<br \/>3 (c) RULEMAKING.\u2014Not later than 180 days after the<br \/>4 date of the enactment of this Act, the Securities and Ex5<br \/>change Commission shall issue such rules as may be nec6<br \/>essary to carry out section 4A of the Securities Act of<br \/>7 1933. In issuing such rules, the Commission shall consider<br \/>8 the costs and benefits of the action.<br \/>9 (d) DISQUALIFICATION.\u2014Not later than 180 days<br \/>10 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Securities<br \/>11 and Exchange Commission shall by rule or regulation es12<br \/>tablish disqualification provisions under which an issuer<br \/>13 shall not be eligible to utilize the exemption under section<br \/>14 4(6) of the Securities Act of 1933 based on the discipli15<br \/>nary history of the issuer or its predecessors, affiliates,<br \/>16 officers, directors, or persons fulfilling similar roles. The<br \/>17 Commission shall also establish disqualification provisions<br \/>18 under which an intermediary shall not be eligible to act<br \/>19 as an intermediary in connection with an offering utilizing<br \/>20 the exemption under section 4(6) of the Securities Act of<br \/>21 1933 based on the disciplinary history of the intermediary<br \/>22 or its predecessors, affiliates, officers, directors, or persons<br \/>23 fulfilling similar roles. Such provisions shall be substan24<br \/>tially similar to the disqualification provisions contained<br \/>25 in the regulations adopted in accordance with section 926<br \/>34<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer<br \/>2 Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 77d note).<br \/>3 SEC. 302. EXCLUSION OF CROWDFUNDING INVESTORS<br \/>4 FROM SHAREHOLDER CAP.<br \/>5 Section 12(g)(5) of the Securities Exchange Act of<br \/>6 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78l(g)(5)) is amended\u2014<br \/>7 (1) by striking \u2018\u2018(5) For the purposes\u2019\u2019 and in8<br \/>serting:<br \/>9 \u2018\u2018(5) DEFINITIONS.\u2014<br \/>10 \u2018\u2018(A) IN GENERAL.\u2014For the purposes\u2019\u2019;<br \/>11 and<br \/>12 (2) by adding at the end the following:<br \/>13 \u2018\u2018(B) EXCLUSION FOR PERSONS HOLDING<br \/>14 CERTAIN SECURITIES.\u2014For purposes of this<br \/>15 subsection, securities held by persons who pur16<br \/>chase such securities in transactions described<br \/>17 under section 4(6) of the Securities Act of 1933<br \/>18 shall not be deemed to be \u2018held of record\u2019.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>19 SEC. 303. PREEMPTION OF STATE LAW.<br \/>20 (a) IN GENERAL.\u2014Section 18(b)(4) of the Securities<br \/>21 Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77r(b)(4)) is amended\u2014<br \/>22 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and<br \/>23 (D) as subparagraphs (E) and (F), respectively; and<br \/>24 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol25<br \/>lowing:<br \/>35<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 \u2018\u2018(C) section 4(6);\u2019\u2019.<br \/>2 (b) CLARIFICATION OF THE PRESERVATION OF<br \/>3 STATE ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY.\u2014<br \/>4 (1) IN GENERAL.\u2014The amendments made by<br \/>5 subsection (a) relate solely to State registration, doc6<br \/>umentation, and offering requirements, as described<br \/>7 under section 18(a) of Securities Act of 1933 (15<br \/>8 U.S.C. 77r(a)), and shall have no impact or limita9<br \/>tion on other State authority to take enforcement<br \/>10 action with regard to an issuer, intermediary, or any<br \/>11 other person or entity using the exemption from reg12<br \/>istration provided by section 4(6) of such Act.<br \/>13 (2) CLARIFICATION OF STATE JURISDICTION<br \/>14 OVER UNLAWFUL CONDUCT OF INTERMEDIARIES,<br \/>15 ISSUERS, AND CUSTODIANS.\u2014Section 18(c)(1) of the<br \/>16 Securities Act of 1933 is amended by striking \u2018\u2018with<br \/>17 respect to fraud or deceit, or unlawful conduct by a<br \/>18 broker or dealer, in connection with securities or se19<br \/>curities transactions.\u2019\u2019 and inserting the following: \u2018\u2018,<br \/>20 in connection with securities or securities trans21<br \/>actions, with respect to\u2014<br \/>22 \u2018\u2018(A) fraud or deceit;<br \/>23 \u2018\u2018(B) unlawful conduct by a broker or deal24<br \/>er; and<br \/>36<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 \u2018\u2018(C) with respect to a transaction de2<br \/>scribed under section 4(6), unlawful conduct by<br \/>3 an intermediary, issuer, or custodian.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>4 TITLE IV\u2014SMALL COMPANY<br \/>5 CAPITAL FORMATION<br \/>6 SEC. 401. AUTHORITY TO EXEMPT CERTAIN SECURITIES.<br \/>7 (a) IN GENERAL.\u2014Section 3(b) of the Securities Act<br \/>8 of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77c(b)) is amended\u2014<br \/>9 (1) by striking \u2018\u2018(b) The Commission\u2019\u2019 and in10<br \/>serting the following:<br \/>11 \u2018\u2018(b) ADDITIONAL EXEMPTIONS.\u2014<br \/>12 \u2018\u2018(1) SMALL ISSUES EXEMPTIVE AUTHORITY.\u2014<br \/>13 The Commission\u2019\u2019; and<br \/>14 (2) by adding at the end the following:<br \/>15 \u2018\u2018(2) ADDITIONAL ISSUES.\u2014The Commission<br \/>16 shall by rule or regulation add a class of securities<br \/>17 to the securities exempted pursuant to this section<br \/>18 in accordance with the following terms and condi19<br \/>tions:<br \/>20 \u2018\u2018(A) The aggregate offering amount of all<br \/>21 securities offered and sold within the prior 12-<br \/>22 month period in reliance on the exemption<br \/>23 added in accordance with this paragraph shall<br \/>24 not exceed $50,000,000.<br \/>37<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 \u2018\u2018(B) The securities may be offered and<br \/>2 sold publicly.<br \/>3 \u2018\u2018(C) The securities shall not be restricted<br \/>4 securities within the meaning of the Federal se5<br \/>curities laws and the regulations promulgated<br \/>6 thereunder.<br \/>7 \u2018\u2018(D) The civil liability provision in section<br \/>8 12(a)(2) shall apply to any person offering or<br \/>9 selling such securities.<br \/>10 \u2018\u2018(E) The issuer may solicit interest in the<br \/>11 offering prior to filing any offering statement,<br \/>12 on such terms and conditions as the Commis13<br \/>sion may prescribe in the public interest or for<br \/>14 the protection of investors.<br \/>15 \u2018\u2018(F) The Commission shall require the<br \/>16 issuer to file audited financial statements with<br \/>17 the Commission annually.<br \/>18 \u2018\u2018(G) Such other terms, conditions, or re19<br \/>quirements as the Commission may determine<br \/>20 necessary in the public interest and for the pro21<br \/>tection of investors, which may include\u2014<br \/>22 \u2018\u2018(i) a requirement that the issuer pre23<br \/>pare and electronically file with the Com24<br \/>mission and distribute to prospective inves25<br \/>tors an offering statement, and any related<br \/>38<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 documents, in such form and with such<br \/>2 content as prescribed by the Commission,<br \/>3 including audited financial statements, a<br \/>4 description of the issuer\u2019s business oper5<br \/>ations, its financial condition, its corporate<br \/>6 governance principles, its use of investor<br \/>7 funds, and other appropriate matters; and<br \/>8 \u2018\u2018(ii) disqualification provisions under<br \/>9 which the exemption shall not be available<br \/>10 to the issuer or its predecessors, affiliates,<br \/>11 officers, directors, underwriters, or other<br \/>12 related persons, which shall be substan13<br \/>tially similar to the disqualification provi14<br \/>sions contained in the regulations adopted<br \/>15 in accordance with section 926 of the<br \/>16 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Con17<br \/>sumer Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 77d<br \/>18 note).<br \/>19 \u2018\u2018(3) LIMITATION.\u2014Only the following types of<br \/>20 securities may be exempted under a rule or regula21<br \/>tion adopted pursuant to paragraph (2): equity secu22<br \/>rities, debt securities, and debt securities convertible<br \/>23 or exchangeable to equity interests, including any<br \/>24 guarantees of such securities.<br \/>39<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 \u2018\u2018(4) PERIODIC DISCLOSURES.\u2014Upon such<br \/>2 terms and conditions as the Commission determines<br \/>3 necessary in the public interest and for the protec4<br \/>tion of investors, the Commission by rule or regula5<br \/>tion may require an issuer of a class of securities ex6<br \/>empted under paragraph (2) to make available to in7<br \/>vestors and file with the Commission periodic disclo8<br \/>sures regarding the issuer, its business operations,<br \/>9 its financial condition, its corporate governance prin10<br \/>ciples, its use of investor funds, and other appro11<br \/>priate matters, and also may provide for the suspen12<br \/>sion and termination of such a requirement with re13<br \/>spect to that issuer.<br \/>14 \u2018\u2018(5) ADJUSTMENT.\u2014Not later than 2 years<br \/>15 after the date of enactment of the Small Company<br \/>16 Capital Formation Act of 2011 and every 2 years<br \/>17 thereafter, the Commission shall review the offering<br \/>18 amount limitation described in paragraph (2)(A) and<br \/>19 shall increase such amount as the Commission deter20<br \/>mines appropriate. If the Commission determines<br \/>21 not to increase such amount, it shall report to the<br \/>22 Committee on Financial Services of the House of<br \/>23 Representatives and the Committee on Banking,<br \/>24 Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate on its<br \/>25 reasons for not increasing the amount.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>40<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 (b) TREATMENT AS COVERED SECURITIES FOR PUR2<br \/>POSES OF NSMIA.\u2014Section 18(b)(4) of the Securities<br \/>3 Act of 1933 (as amended by section 303) (15 U.S.C.<br \/>4 77r(b)(4)) is further amended by inserting after subpara5<br \/>graph (C) (as added by such section) the following:<br \/>6 \u2018\u2018(D) a rule or regulation adopted pursuant<br \/>7 to section 3(b)(2) and such security is\u2014<br \/>8 \u2018\u2018(i) offered or sold on a national secu9<br \/>rities exchange; or<br \/>10 \u2018\u2018(ii) offered or sold to a qualified pur11<br \/>chaser, as defined by the Commission pur12<br \/>suant to paragraph (3) with respect to that<br \/>13 purchase or sale;\u2019\u2019.<br \/>14 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.\u2014Section 4(5) of the<br \/>15 Securities Act of 1933 is amended by striking \u2018\u2018section<br \/>16 3(b)\u2019\u2019 and inserting \u2018\u2018section 3(b)(1)\u2019\u2019.<br \/>17 SEC. 402. STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF STATE BLUE SKY<br \/>18 LAWS ON REGULATION A OFFERINGS.<br \/>19 The Comptroller General shall conduct a study on the<br \/>20 impact of State laws regulating securities offerings, or<br \/>21 \u2018\u2018Blue Sky laws\u2019\u2019, on offerings made under Regulation A<br \/>22 (17 CFR 230.251 et seq.). The Comptroller General shall<br \/>23 transmit a report on the findings of the study to the Com24<br \/>mittee on Financial Services of the House of Representa25<br \/>tives, and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and<br \/>41<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 Urban Affairs of the Senate not later than 3 months after<br \/>2 the date of enactment of this Act.<br \/>3 TITLE V\u2014PRIVATE COMPANY<br \/>4 FLEXIBILITY AND GROWTH<br \/>5 SEC. 501. THRESHOLD FOR REGISTRATION.<br \/>6 Section 12(g)(1)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act<br \/>7 of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78l(g)(1)(A)) is amended to read as<br \/>8 follows:<br \/>9 \u2018\u2018(A) within 120 days after the last day of its<br \/>10 first fiscal year ended on which the issuer has total<br \/>11 assets exceeding $10,000,000 and a class of equity<br \/>12 security (other than an exempted security) held of<br \/>13 record by either\u2014<br \/>14 \u2018\u2018(i) 2,000 persons, or<br \/>15 \u2018\u2018(ii) 500 persons who are not accredited inves16<br \/>tors (as such term is defined by the Commission),<br \/>17 and\u2019\u2019.<br \/>18 SEC. 502. EMPLOYEES.<br \/>19 Section 12(g)(5) of the Securities Exchange Act of<br \/>20 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78l(g)(5)), as amended by section 302,<br \/>21 is amended in subparagraph (A) by adding at the end the<br \/>22 following: \u2018\u2018For purposes of determining whether an issuer<br \/>23 is required to register a security with the Commission pur24<br \/>suant to paragraph (1), the definition of \u2018held of record\u2019<br \/>25 shall not include securities held by persons who received<br \/>42<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 the securities pursuant to an employee compensation plan<br \/>2 in transactions exempted from the registration require3<br \/>ments of section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933.\u2019\u2019.<br \/>4 SEC. 503. COMMISSION RULEMAKING.<br \/>5 The Securities and Exchange Commission shall revise<br \/>6 the definition of \u2018\u2018held of record\u2019\u2019 pursuant to section<br \/>7 12(g)(5) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15<br \/>8 U.S.C. 78l(g)(5)) to implement the amendment made by<br \/>9 section 502. The Commission shall also adopt safe harbor<br \/>10 provisions that issuers can follow when determining<br \/>11 whether holders of their securities received the securities<br \/>12 pursuant to an employee compensation plan in trans13<br \/>actions that were exempt from the registration require14<br \/>ments of section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933.<br \/>15 SEC. 504. COMMISSION STUDY OF ENFORCEMENT AUTHOR16<br \/>ITY UNDER RULE 12G5\u20131.<br \/>17 The Securities and Exchange Commission shall ex18<br \/>amine its authority to enforce Rule 12g5\u20131 to determine<br \/>19 if new enforcement tools are needed to enforce the anti20<br \/>evasion provision contained in subsection (b)(3) of the<br \/>21 rule, and shall, not later than 120 days after the date of<br \/>22 enactment of this Act transmit its recommendations to<br \/>23 Congress.<br \/>43<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 TITLE VI\u2014CAPITAL EXPANSION<br \/>2 SEC. 601. SHAREHOLDER THRESHOLD FOR REGISTRATION.<br \/>3 (a) AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURI4<br \/>TIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.\u2014Section 12(g) of the Se5<br \/>curities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78l(g)) is fur6<br \/>ther amended\u2014<br \/>7 (1) in paragraph (1), by amending subpara8<br \/>graph (B) to read as follows:<br \/>9 \u2018\u2018(B) in the case of an issuer that is a bank or<br \/>10 a bank holding company, as such term is defined in<br \/>11 section 2 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956<br \/>12 (12 U.S.C. 1841), not later than 120 days after the<br \/>13 last day of its first fiscal year ended after the effec14<br \/>tive date of this subsection, on which the issuer has<br \/>15 total assets exceeding $10,000,000 and a class of eq16<br \/>uity security (other than an exempted security) held<br \/>17 of record by 2,000 or more persons,\u2019\u2019; and<br \/>18 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking \u2018\u2018three hun19<br \/>dred\u2019\u2019 and inserting \u2018\u2018300 persons, or, in the case of<br \/>20 a bank or a bank holding company, as such term is<br \/>21 defined in section 2 of the Bank Holding Company<br \/>22 Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841), 1,200 persons\u2019\u2019.<br \/>23 (b) AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 15 OF THE SECURI24<br \/>TIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.\u2014Section 15(d) of the Se25<br \/>curities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78o(d)) is<br \/>44<br \/>\u2022HR 3606 EH<br \/>1 amended, in the third sentence, by striking \u2018\u2018three hun2<br \/>dred\u2019\u2019 and inserting \u2018\u2018300 persons, or, in the case of bank<br \/>3 or a bank holding company, as such term is defined in<br \/>4 section 2 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12<br \/>5 U.S.C. 1841), 1,200 persons\u2019\u2019.<br \/>6 SEC. 602. RULEMAKING.<br \/>7 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment<br \/>8 of this Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission shall<br \/>9 issue final regulations to implement this title and the<br \/>10 amendments made by this title.<br \/>11 TITLE VII\u2014OUTREACH ON<br \/>12 CHANGES TO THE LAW<br \/>13 SEC. 701. OUTREACH BY THE COMMISSION.<br \/>14 The Securities and Exchange Commission shall pro15<br \/>vide online information and conduct outreach to inform<br \/>16 small and medium sized businesses, women owned busi17<br \/>nesses, veteran owned businesses, and minority owned<br \/>18 businesses of the changes made by this Act.<br \/>Passed the House of Representatives March 8,<br \/>2012.<br \/>Attest:<br \/>Clerk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Larry Chiang got a law passed for $217 and even got to testify before Congress. He co-founded &#8220;Street Smart Legal Series&#8220;, MIT Entrepreneur Week and University of Texas Entrepreneur Week. He took an MBA as independent study when he went to the University of Illinois. Harvard&#8217;s Harbus, featured him in a cover story that shares [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entrepreneurship"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duck9.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}