Small Business Issuers' Simplification Act of 1980
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
Small Business Issuers' Simplification Act of 1980 - Amends the Securities Act of 1933 to allow small issuers to make offerings of their securities to accredited investors without filing a registration statement, provided there is no advertising or public solicitation in connection with the transaction. Permits an accredited investor who acquires securities in such a transaction to resell such securities to other accredited investors without filing a registration statement under the exemption for transactions not involving an underwriter. Defines the term "accredited investor" to include specified institutional investors and any person purchasing at least $100,000 of securities in such an offering by a small issuer. Requires a small issuer to meet two of the three following criteria in order to qualify for the exemption provided by this Act: (1) assets at the end of its fiscal year of less than $15,000,000; (2) gross revenues in each of its last two fiscal years of less than $30,000,000; and (3) no more than 500 shareholders of any class of its securities. Empowers the Securities and Exchange Commission to revise the definitions and criteria established by this Act.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on May 14, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 14, 1980: Referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
GAYLORD NELSON (D-WI) introduced it on May 14, 1980, and 4 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 2 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 14, 1980, 16920 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16920 days ago, on May 14, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers