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Stock Option Accounting Reform Act

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Nov 19, 2003

Stock Option Accounting Reform Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require an issuer of registered securities to show as an expense in its mandatory annual report the fair value of all stock purchase options granted to certain of its senior executive officers after December 31, 2004.

Exempts small business issuers from such requirement.

Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to require reporting of: (1) stock option expenses as a reduction of the total expense in the fiscal year in which they expire or are forfeited; and (2) as income any excess by which such reduction exceeds total option expenses for any fiscal year.

Requires any accounting principle recognized as "generally accepted" by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding the expensing of stock purchase options to comply with this Act. Denies recognition to any such accounting principle until the Secretaries of Commerce and of Labor complete a joint study on the economic impact of mandatory expensing of all employee stock options.

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Who introduced it

Sen. Enzi, Michael B. [R-WY] · R–WY

Committees

  • Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
30 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

  2. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S15188-15190)

  3. Introduced in Senate

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Aug 18, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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