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ESG developments this week In Washington, D.C. New SEC Chair sworn in On April 14, Gary Gensler was confirmed by the U.S. Senate (in a mostly party-line 53-45 vote) as the new chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He was sworn in April 17 by Maryland Senator Ben Cardin (D) in a small…
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ESG developments this week In Washington, D.C. Greater fund disclosure on voting behavior On March 17, then-acting-chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Allison Herren Lee, spoke to the Investment Company Institute, a fund trade group, on Commission plans to address the transparency of fund votes taken on shareholder proposals. She said: “There are two…
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ESG developments this week In Washington, D.C. SEC broadening definition of materiality In a March 15 speech given to the Center for American Progress, Acting SEC Chair Allison Herren Lee said that she was grateful for the opportunity “to reflect on the enhanced focus the SEC has brought to climate and ESG” and “on the…
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ESG developments this week In Washington, D.C. Labor Department ends enforcement of Trump administration ESG rule On March 10, the Biden administration announced that it will not enforce a Trump administration Department of Labor rule warning asset managers about their fiduciary responsibilities under ERISA (The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974), specifically concerning ESG-related…
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ESG developments this week In Washington, D.C. SEC reviewing ESG disclosure practices of publicly traded companies Late last month, the Securities and Exchange Commission, led by acting Chair Allison Herren Lee, announced that it has started reviewing ESG disclosure practices and demands among the publicly traded corporations it regulates. According to Lee, “Now more than…