Wachtell Lipton Discusses SEC Staff’s Move to Limit Exclusion of “Social Policy” Shareholder Proposals
The SEC Staff has issued revised guidance rescinding prior Staff Legal Bulletins addressing the exclusion of Rule 14a-8 shareholder proposals based on the social significance to a company, “micromanagement” or “economic relevance.” The changes will likely facilitate a larger number of shareholder proposals, including ESG proposals, coming to a shareholder vote.
Ordinary Business Exception: The new guidance revises the SEC’s application of the “ordinary business” exclusion, which considered whether a proposal was of social policy significance or sought to micromanage a company. While the Staff has previously focused on the significance of a social policy issue to a particular issuer, … Read more