Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Section 306
Insider Trades During Pension Fund Blackout Periods
a. Prohibition of Insider Trading During Pension Fund Blackout Periods.
1. In general. Except to the extent otherwise provided by
rule of the Commission pursuant to paragraph (3), it shall be unlawful for
any director or executive officer of an issuer of any equity security (other
than an exempted security), directly or indirectly, to purchase, sell, or
otherwise acquire or transfer any equity security of the issuer (other than
an exempted security) during any blackout period with respect to such equity
security if such director or officer acquires such equity security in connection
with his or her service or employment as a director or executive officer.
2. Remedy.
A. In general. Any profit realized by a director
or executive officer referred to in paragraph (1) from any purchase, sale,
or other acquisition or transfer in violation of this subsection shall inure
to and be recoverable by the issuer, irrespective of any intention on the
part of such director or executive officer in entering into the transaction.
B. Actions to recover profits. An action to recover
profits in accordance with this subsection may be instituted at law or in
equity in any court of competent jurisdiction by the issuer, or by the owner
of any security of the issuer in the name and in behalf of the issuer if
the issuer fails or refuses to bring such action within 60 days after the
date of request, or fails diligently to prosecute the action thereafter,
except that no such suit shall be brought more than 2 years after the date
on which such profit was realized.
3. Rulemaking Authorized. The Commission shall, in
consultation with the Secretary of Labor, issue rules to clarify the application
of this subsection and to prevent evasion thereof. Such rules shall provide
for the application of the requirements of paragraph (1) with respect to
entities treated as a single employer with respect to an issuer under section
414(b), (c), (m), or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to the extent
necessary to clarify the application of such requirements and to prevent
evasion thereof. Such rules may also provide for appropriate exceptions
from the requirements of this subsection, including exceptions for purchases
pursuant to an automatic dividend reinvestment program or purchases or sales
made pursuant to an advance election.
4. Blackout period. For purposes of this subsection,
the term "blackout period", with respect to the equity securities of any
issuer --
A. means any period of more than 3 consecutive
business days during which the ability of not fewer than 50 percent of the
participants or beneficiaries under all individual account plans maintained
by the issuer to purchase, sell, or otherwise acquire or transfer an interest
in any equity of such issuer held in such an individual account plan is
temporarily suspended by the issuer or by a fiduciary of the plan; and
B. does not include, under regulations which shall
be prescribed by the Commission --
i. a regularly scheduled period in which the participants
and beneficiaries may not purchase, sell, or otherwise acquire or transfer
an interest in any equity of such issuer, if such period is --
I. incorporated into the individual account plan;
and
II. timely disclosed to employees before becoming
participants under the individual account plan or as a subsequent amendment
to the plan; or
ii. any suspension described in subparagraph (A)
that is imposed solely in connection with persons becoming participants
or beneficiaries, or ceasing to be participants or beneficiaries, in an
individual account plan by reason of a corporate merger, acquisition, divestiture,
or similar transaction involving the plan or plan sponsor.
5. Individual account plan. For purposes of this subsection,
the term "individual account plan" has the meaning provided in section 3(34)
of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1002(34),
except that such term shall not include a one-participant retirement plan
(within the meaning of section 101(i)(8)(B) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 1021(i)(8)(B))).
6. Notice to directors, executive officers, and the
commission.-- In any case in which a director or executive officer is subject
to the requirements of this subsection in connection with a blackout period
(as defined in paragraph (4)) with respect to any equity securities, the
issuer of such equity securities shall timely notify such director or officer
and the Securities and Exchange Commission of such blackout period.
b. Notice Requirements to Participants and Beneficiaries under ERISA.
1. In general. Section 101 of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1021) is amended by redesignating the second
subsection (h) as subsection (j), and by inserting after the first subsection
(h) the following new subsection:
"(i) Notice of Blackout Periods to Participant or Beneficiary Under Individual
Account Plan.--
"(1) Duties of plan administrator.-- In advance of the commencement of
any blackout period with respect to an individual account plan, the plan
administrator shall notify the plan participants and beneficiaries who are
affected by such action in accordance with this subsection.
"(2) Notice requirements.----
"(A) In general.--The notices described in paragraph (1) shall be written
in a manner calculated to be understood by the average plan participant
and shall include --
"(i) the reasons for the blackout period,
"(ii) an identification of the investments and other rights affected,
"(iii) the expected beginning date and length of the blackout period,
"(iv) in the case of investments affected, a statement that the participant
or beneficiary should evaluate the appropriateness of their current investment
decisions in light of their inability to direct or diversify assets credited
to their accounts during the blackout period, and
"(v) such other matters as the Secretary may require by regulation.
"(B) Notice to participants and beneficiaries.--Except as otherwise provided
in this subsection, notices described in paragraph (1) shall be furnished
to all participants and beneficiaries under the plan to whom the blackout
period applies at least 30 days in advance of the blackout period.
"(C) Exception to 30-day notice requirement.--In any case in which --
"(i) a deferral of the blackout period would violate the requirements
of subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 404(a)(1), and a fiduciary of the
plan reasonably so determines in writing, or
"(ii) the inability to provide the 30-day advance notice is due to events
that were unforeseeable or circumstances beyond the reasonable control of
the plan administrator, and a fiduciary of the plan reasonably so determines
in writing, subparagraph (B) shall not apply, and the notice shall be furnished to
all participants and beneficiaries under the plan to whom the blackout period
applies as soon as reasonably possible under the circumstances unless such
a notice in advance of the termination of the blackout period is impracticable.
"(D) Written notice.--The notice required to be provided under this subsection
shall be in writing, except that such notice may be in electronic or other
form to the extent that such form is reasonably accessible to the recipient.
"(E) Notice to issuers of employer securities subject to blackout period.--In
the case of any blackout period in connection with an individual account
plan, the plan administrator shall provide timely notice of such blackout
period to the issuer of any employer securities subject to such blackout
period.
"(3) Exception for blackout periods with limited applicability.-- In
any case in which the blackout period applies only to 1 or more participants
or beneficiaries in connection with a merger, acquisition, divestiture,
or similar transaction involving the plan or plan sponsor and occurs solely
in connection with becoming or ceasing to be a participant or beneficiary
under the plan by reason of such merger, acquisition, divestiture, or transaction,
the requirement of this subsection that the notice be provided to all participants
and beneficiaries shall be treated as met if the notice required under paragraph
(1) is provided to such participants or beneficiaries to whom the blackout
period applies as soon as reasonably practicable.
"(4) Changes in length of blackout period.-- If, following the furnishing
of the notice pursuant to this subsection, there is a change in the beginning
date or length of the blackout period (specified in such notice pursuant
to paragraph (2)(A)(iii)), the administrator shall provide affected participants
and beneficiaries notice of the change as soon as reasonably practicable.
In relation to the extended blackout period, such notice shall meet the
requirements of paragraph (2)(D) and shall specify any material change in
the matters referred to in clauses (i) through (v) of paragraph (2)(A).
"(5) Regulatory exceptions.-- The Secretary may provide by regulation
for additional exceptions to the requirements of this subsection which the
Secretary determines are in the interests of participants and beneficiaries.
"(6) Guidance and model notices.-- The Secretary shall issue guidance
and model notices which meet the requirements of this subsection.
"(7) Blackout period.-- For purposes of this subsection --
"(A) In general.--The term 'blackout period' means, in connection with
an individual account plan, any period for which any ability of participants
or beneficiaries under the plan, which is otherwise available under the
terms of such plan, to direct or diversify assets credited to their accounts,
to obtain loans from the plan, or to obtain distributions from the plan
is temporarily suspended, limited, or restricted, if such suspension, limitation,
or restriction is for any period of more than 3 consecutive business days.
"(B) Exclusions.--The term 'blackout period' does not include a suspension,
limitation, or restriction --
"(i) which occurs by reason of the application of the securities laws
(as defined in section 3(a)(47) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934),
"(ii) which is a change to the plan which provides for a regularly scheduled
suspension, limitation, or restriction which is disclosed to participants
or beneficiaries through any summary of material modifications, any materials
describing specific investment alternatives under the plan, or any changes
thereto, or
"(iii) which applies only to 1 or more individuals, each of whom is the
participant, an alternate payee (as defined in section 206(d)(3)(K)), or
any other beneficiary pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order (as
defined in section 206(d)(3)(B)(i)).
"(8) Individual account plan.----
"(A) In general.--For purposes of this subsection, the term 'individual
account plan' shall have the meaning provided such term in section 3(34),
except that such term shall not include a one-participant retirement plan.
"(B) One-participant retirement plan.--For purposes of subparagraph (A),
the term 'one-participant retirement plan' means a retirement plan that
--
"(i) on the first day of the plan year --
"(I) covered only the employer (and the employer's
spouse) and the employer owned the entire business (whether or not incorporated),
or"(II) covered only one or more partners (and their spouses) in a business
partnership (including partners in an S or C corporation (as defined in
section 1361(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986)),
"(ii) meets the minimum coverage requirements of section 410(b) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as in effect on the date of the enactment
of this paragraph) without being combined with any other plan of the business
that covers the employees of the business,
"(iii) does not provide benefits to anyone except the employer
(and the employer's spouse) or the partners (and their spouses),
"(iv) does not cover a business that is a member of an
affiliated service group, a controlled group of corporations, or a group
of businesses under common control, and
"(v) does not cover a business that leases employees.".
2. Issuance of initial guidance and model notice.
The Secretary of Labor shall issue initial guidance and a model notice pursuant
to section 101(i)(6) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
(as added by this subsection) not later than January 1, 2003. Not later
than 75 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall promulgate interim final rules necessary to carry out the amendments
made by this subsection.
3. Civil penalties for failure to provide notice. Section
502 of such Act (29 U.S.C. 1132) is amended --
A. in subsection (a)(6), by striking "(5), or
(6)" and inserting "(5), (6), or (7)";
B. by redesignating paragraph (7) of subsection (c)
as paragraph (8); and
C. by inserting after paragraph (6) of subsection
(c) the following new paragraph:
"(7) The Secretary may assess a civil penalty against a plan administrator
of up to $ 100 a day from the date of the plan administrator's failure or
refusal to provide notice to participants and beneficiaries in accordance
with section 101(i). For purposes of this paragraph, each violation with
respect to any single participant or beneficiary shall be treated as a separate
violation.".
3. Plan amendments. If any amendment made by this
subsection requires an amendment to any plan, such plan amendment shall
not be required to be made before the first plan year beginning on or after
the effective date of this section, if --
A. during the period after such amendment made
by this subsection takes effect and before such first plan year, the plan
is operated in good faith compliance with the requirements of such amendment
made by this subsection, and
B. such plan amendment applies retroactively to the
period after such amendment made by this subsection takes effect and before
such first plan year.
c. Effective Date. The provisions of this section (including
the amendments made thereby) shall take effect 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act. Good faith compliance with the requirements of
such provisions in advance of the issuance of applicable regulations thereunder
shall be treated as compliance with such provisions.
|
