Capital Markets Deregulation and Liberalization Act of 1995
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jul 27, 1995
Capital Markets Deregulation and Liberalization Act of 1995 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to include among the prerequisites to registration as a national securities exchange or association that the rules of the organization will not confer responsibility upon a broker or dealer for the investment decisions of an institutional client unless an agreement in writing has been executed to that effect. (Sec. 2) Establishes a rebuttable presumption that a broker or dealer is not liable for the investment decisions of an institutional client. (Sec. 3) Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to exempt securities offerings, with specified exceptions, from State law. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to exempt persons registered with the SEC, with specified exceptions, from State law governing: (1) registration, licensing, or qualification requirements; or (2) broker or dealer capital, records, or financial reporting requirements that differ from SEC requirements. Permits State registration, licensing, and qualification requirements (including fees) if: (1) the State performs its procedures though a central registration depository system operated by a national securities association; and (2) the State's requirements are substantially similar to the registration requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and do not conflict with them. Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to grant the SEC exclusive jurisdiction over all securities, attendant transactions, and persons to whom such Acts apply. (Sec. 4) Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to repeal the statutory percentage formula for margin requirements. Exempts certain excluded accounts from margin requirements. Precludes a national securities exchange or association from imposing any limitation upon the extension of credit more restrictive than that imposed by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board). Repeals the restrictions on borrowing placed upon a securities broker or dealer relating to the use of credit to finance securities transactions in the ordinary course of business. Repeals the exemption of mortgage and small business related securities whose delivery is delayed for bona fide reasons from the proscription against broker-dealer extensions of credit to purchase securities with which the broker-dealer has specified connections. Grants the SEC exemption authority with respect to credit restrictions governing securities transactions. (Sec. 5) Repeals the disclosure requirements placed upon: (1) a five percent equity shareholder; (2) the purchase by an issuer of its own securities in compliance with SEC rules to prevent fraud, deception, or manipulation; (3) the making of a tender offer by a party who would consequently become a more than five percent shareholder; and (4) certain persons subsequently designated as majority directors as a result of such tender offer. Repeals the mandatory fee structure for the filing of preliminary proxy materials. (Sec. 6) Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to: (1) remove securities sale confirmations from the meaning of "prospectus"; and (2) modify the requirement that a prospectus be delivered to a purchaser or prospective purchaser of securities, to require delivery only if requested. Grants the SEC exemptive authority with respect to the prospectus delivery requirement. (Sec. 7) Increases from $5 million to $15 million the maximum asset-size of public offerings which may be exempted from the Act's purview. Revises the SEC's exemptive authority regarding registration requirements. (Sec. 8) Amends specified securities laws to direct the SEC to consider whether an action will promote efficiency, competition, and capital formation whenever it is required to consider the impact of an action upon consumer protection. (Sec. 9) Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to reduce SEC membership from five to three commissioners. (Sec. 10) Directs the SEC to request, by public notice, proposals for the privatization of the EDGAR system. (Sec. 11) Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to modify the timetable for public notice of a proposed rule change by a self-regulatory organization. (Sec. 12) Instructs the SEC to designate a self-regulatory organization as its examining authority for each registered broker or dealer. (Sec. 13) Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to exclude certain press conferences, press releases, and certain meetings with issuer press spokespersons (including meetings with journalists for on-line services) from the definition of: (1) "offer to buy"; and (2) prospectus. (Sec. 14) Repeals the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Explore the bill from different angles
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Neutral evidence review
Objective
Analyze H.R.2131 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact
Progressive lens
Examine H.R.2131 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope
Conservative lens
Examine H.R.2131 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power
Liberty lens
Examine H.R.2131 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.