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S 979 108th Congress Senate Finance and Financial Sector Accounting Commerce Congress Congressional reporting requirements Earnings Economic impact statements Economics and Public Finance Employee motivation Employee ownership Employee stock options Executive compensation Financial statements Foreign Trade and International Finance Government Operations and Politics High technology Independent regulatory commissions Industrial research Information disclosure (Securities law) International competitiveness

Broad-Based Stock Option Plan Transparency Act of 2003

Introduced: May 1, 2003 See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 108th Congress ended
It never became law before the 108th Congress (2003–2004) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 1, 2003
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5671)
May 1, 2003
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5670-5671)
May 1, 2003
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Broad-Based Stock Option Plan Transparency Act of 2003 - Directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require that certain mandatory periodic reports include detailed information regarding stock option plans, stock purchase
plans, and other arrangements involving an employee acquisition of an equity interest in the publicly traded company, particularly with respect to the dilutive effect of such plans.

Requires such reports to include: (1) a discussion, written in "plain English" of the dilutive effect of stock option plans, including tables or graphic illustrations; (2) expanded disclosure of the dilutive effect of employee stock options upon the earnings per share number of the company; (3) prominent placement and increased comparability of all stock options related information; and (4) a summary of the stock options granted to the five most highly compensated executive officers of the company, including any outstanding stock options of those officers.

Directs the SEC to study and report to Congress on the effectiveness of the enhanced disclosures in increasing transparency to investors.

Prohibits the SEC from recognizing as generally accepted accounting principles for purposes of enforcing the securities laws any accounting standards related to the treatment of stock options that it did not recognize for that purpose before April 1, 2003.

Instructs the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress on a study and analysis of broad-based employee stock option plans, particularly in the high technology and any other high growth industries.

What's happening now May 1, 2003

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5671)

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 979: Broad-Based Stock Option Plan Transparency Act of 2003. 108th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/108-S-979/
MLA
"S. 979: Broad-Based Stock Option Plan Transparency Act of 2003." 108th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/108-S-979/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 979, 108th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/108-S-979/.
Markdown link
[S. 979: Broad-Based Stock Option Plan Transparency Act of 2003](https://openamerica.io/bill/108-S-979/)
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