Conflict Minerals Reporting Requirements
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The New SEC Conflict Minerals Rule: Overcoming the Challenges of Compliance
Under Dodd-Frank, the GAO is required to assess annually the effectiveness of the SEC’s conflict minerals rules in promoting peace and security and to report on the rate of sexual violence in the DRC and adjoining countries....more
We have been talking about conflict minerals for years. And, so have our manufacturing clients. As covered previously in this blog, the conflict minerals laws and regulations are some of the most well known, but least...more
Dear clients and friends, We present our traditional year-end issue of Snell & Wilmer’s Corporate Communicator to help you prepare for the upcoming annual report and proxy season. This issue highlights SEC reporting and...more
Pursuant to Executive Order 13772, the Treasury Department has issued a report that identifies laws, treaties, regulations, guidance, reporting and record keeping requirements, and other government policies that promote or...more
The GAO has issued a new report on conflict minerals focused in this instance on the supply chain for artisanal and small-scale mined (ASM) gold in the DRC region. The report also addressed efforts to encourage responsible...more
Development International has posted its most recent Conflict Minerals Benchmarking Study, analyzing the results of filings for the 2016 filing period. The study looked at filings submitted by the 1,153 issuers that had filed...more
On June 8, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the Financial CHOICE Act (FCA) primarily along party lines, 233-186. The FCA was introduced by Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, and co-sponsored by 40 of his...more
In the Spring 2017 issue of our Corporate Communicator, we included a brief discussion of the status of the conflict minerals rules contained in Rule 13p-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange...more
On April 7, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Division of Corporate Finance (the "Division") indicated that it will not recommend enforcement of the conflict minerals source and chain of custody due...more
The GAO has recently issued its third annual report on conflict minerals. The GAO is required by Dodd-Frank to report annually on the effectiveness of the SEC’s conflict minerals rule in promoting peace and security in the...more
GAO released an analysis of a generalizable sample of conflict minerals disclosures filed with SEC in 2015. The analysis found that an estimated 49 percent of companies in 2015 reported having determined whether the conflict...more
A host of things happened in the last few months regarding Conflict Minerals, although likely not much that will affect what a public company reports on its Form SD, due May 31. (Spoiler alert: The same thing companies have...more
A draft of the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 (fka version 2.0), a bill to create hope and opportunity for investors, consumers, and entrepreneurs — a masterpiece of acronyming — has just been released (and weighs in at 593...more
On April 5, just prior to the release of Corp Fin’s Updated Statement on conflict minerals, the Senate Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy held a hearing on the effects on the Democratic Republic of the Congo of...more
On Friday, April 7, 2017, the acting Chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) Michael Piwowar released a statement that the Commission will not recommend enforcement of certain parts of its Conflict...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) Division of Corporate Finance issued a new statement adding some uncertainty to company obligations and enforcement exposure under the SEC conflict minerals rule...more
Late Friday, April 7, the SEC issued two statements relating to the conflict minerals rule which reflect a significant change in the staff’s guidance for public companies. The upshot of these statements is that the staff...more
Effective immediately, the SEC staff has relaxed conflict minerals reporting requirements by public companies. The change was triggered by the entry of a final judgment in the conflict minerals case. ...more
Today, the D.C. District Court entered final judgment in National Association of Manufacturers v. SEC, holding that Section 1502 of Dodd-Frank and Rule 13p-1 and Form SD, Conflict Minerals, violate the First Amendment to the...more
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia has entered a final judgment in the conflict minerals case. The final judgment is identical to the proposed judgment which we described previously....more
Bloomberg BNA is reporting that the State Department has launched a new review of “how best to support responsible sourcing of conflict minerals,” which will continue through April 28. Although it’s not known whether the SEC...more
Not everyone is pleased by the actions taken by Acting SEC Chair Michael Piwowar directing the SEC staff to review the conflict minerals and pay-ratio disclosure rules. In fact, today, four Senate Democrats on the Senate...more
A flurry of activity on conflict minerals in recent months has added new uncertainty to the long-simmering debate over the future of U.S. conflict minerals reporting requirements. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission...more
Pursuant to a court order, the parties to the conflict minerals case have filed a proposed judgment after they advised the court no further proceedings were necessary. The text of the proposed judgment is as follows...more