Regulatory Roundup

Boards Confront New Standards Amid Regulatory Limbo

By Alexandra R. Lajoux

07/08/2024

Legislation Regulation Directorship Magazine

picture of capitol

This mid-quarter NACD policy brief summarizes current legislative, regulatory, and legal developments affecting boards and advises members of related NACD advocacy.

Regulatory uncertainty lingers in boardrooms this quarter as new governance standards emerge. Thanks to the Congressional Review Act (CRA), any regulations issued this summer could be overturned next year if there is a “red wave” in the November elections. At the same time, some major rules that have already passed are being challenged and even vacated in court. But such nullification risks have not deterred a slew of agencies—including the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)—from proposing major programs or rules that will affect boards. Meanwhile, two landmark court decisions are complicating the compliance mission: Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. v. Moab Partners in the US Supreme Court and McRitchie v. Zuckerberg et al. in Delaware.

With more than 13,400 legislative bills proposed yet only 64 passed so far, according to Congress.gov as of June 10, the 118th Congress is known for gridlock. And what little this Congress does for the rest of the year could get reversed. All eyes are on the moving target of the so-called CRA deadline. The CRA, enacted in 1996 as part of a broader law intended to help small businesses, gives Congress the power, unless the president vetoes their joint resolution votes, to nullify any regulations issued during the last 60 days of a legislative session. The exact deadline will be uncertain until Congress adjourns for the year...

Photo Credit: stock.adobe.com / ozerkina

 

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Alexandra R. Lajoux
Alexandra Reed Lajoux, Ph.D., M.B.A., is a founding principal of Capital Expert Services, LLC (CapEx). She serves NACD as chief knowledge officer emeritus.

 


This article is from the Summer 2024 issue of Directorship.