On May 19, 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) published two rulemaking proposals, each of which would substantially revise the requirements of the U.S. federal securities laws applicable to public companies. These proposals mark the next step in SEC Chair Paul Atkins’ mission to grow the U.S. capital markets and “make IPOs great again,” and clearly reflect the SEC’s commitment to this mission.
This Legal Update covers one proposal, titled “Enhancement of Emerging Growth Company Accommodations and Simplification of Filer Status for Reporting Companies” (the “Proposing Release”). The Proposing Release lays out a new simplified structure for the filer status of many domestic U.S. companies that report under Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), along with numerous ideas for comprehensive disclosure simplification and comment requests.