H.R. 1780 · 110th Congress

Small Business Securities Protection Act

Stage
In committee
Sponsor
Mark Kirk
Introduced
2007-03-29
Latest action
2007-03-30 · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure.

Summary

Small Business Securities Protection Act - Amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to instruct the Securities and Exchange Commission to prescribe rules that incorporate risk-based concepts in evaluating internal control over financial reporting for issuers.

Requires such rules also to incorporate: (1) specific guidelines for measuring the terms "material," "reasonable," "significant," and "sufficient" in the context of internal control over financial reporting; (2) a requirement that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board consider the efficiency of audit practices in its inspections; (3) alternative requirements for smaller issuers that reflect the relative size and complexity of smaller issuers, and the relative financial and manpower burdens placed on them in testing and documenting internal controls; and (4) revised standards for independence by auditors to permit the rendering of internal control advice for resolution of internal control issues and related liability safe harbors for auditors providing such advice to smaller issuers.