The Senate Agriculture Committee announced that on July 17, it will hold a hearing featuring testimonies from market participants and stakeholders who will address issues related to the Commodity Exchange Act and the CFTC generally. Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and Thad Cochran, Ranking Member, also announced that recommendations made by the public and stakeholders regarding CFTC reauthorization are now public and available for viewing on the Committee website. The letters were submitted following a request made in March by Stabenow and Cochran for the public to weigh in on the process

SIFMA CEO Judd Gregg released a statement thanking Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) and Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) for introducing the Protect American Investment Act of 2013 (HR 2546), which would restrict foreign taxes on domestic private security transactions. The legislation would make it clear that Americans should not be required to pay tax to a foreign government for buying or selling United States securities within the United States. Additionally, a group of Congressional leaders sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew expressing concern over the EC's decision to implement a financial

The SEC has approved the FICC's application for permanent registration as a clearing agency pursuant to Sections 17A(b) ("Registration of Clearing Agencies") and 19(a)(1) ("Registration Procedures; Notice of Filing, Other Regulatory Agencies") of the Securities Exchange Act. The SEC concluded that the FICC's rules, policies and procedures meet the requirements for such registration. See: SEC Letter of Exemption Approval.

SEC Commissioner Elisse B. Walter delivered a speech at the 19th Annual Stanford Directors' College, which was primarily focused on timely disclosure to investors of accurate and complete information. Walter cited this as the "cornerstone of securities regulation and investor protection." The Commissioner encouraged directors of public companies to not view disclosures as an obligation, but rather an opportunity to tell the company's story, and encouraged directors to speak to their investors like business partners. Walter further suggested that full disclosure is "the hallmark of corporate

FINRA has announced revisions to the Equity Trader (Series 55) examination program after a content qualification review. These revisions reflect changes in the laws, rules, and regulations portions covered by the examination, as well as the functions currently performed by an Equity Trader. The revised examination contains: 45 questions on Trading, 36 questions on Order Handling, and 19 questions on Record Keeping and Regulatory Reporting Additionally, changes were made to the weighing of questions, as well as the minimum passing score, which was reduced from 70 to 67 percent. The