Political Spending Stockholder Resolution Early Returns – Low Vote/High Settlement

Perhaps not surprising in an election year, the hottest trend in stockholder proposals this proxy season has been submission of resolutions focused on political spending. As reported in this Washington Post article, the Sustainable Investments Institute, a Washington nonprofit that tracks stockholder resolutions, found that approximately one-third of stockholder resolutions this proxy season related to political spending disclosure. In general, these resolutions focus on disclosure of all political spending using corporate funds, including payments made to 501(c)(4) trade organizations that engage in lobbying or political campaigning.

Continue reading “Political Spending Stockholder Resolution Early Returns – Low Vote/High Settlement”

NYSE Further Narrows Broker Discretionary Voting: Potential Impact on a Company’s Proxy Season Planning

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) once again has limited the ability of a broker to vote on proposals at shareholder meetings for which the broker has not received voting instructions from its customers. This narrowing follows recent rule amendments triggered by the Dodd-Frank Act prohibiting brokers from voting uninstructed shares in the election of directors and on proposals relating to executive compensation.

Continue reading “NYSE Further Narrows Broker Discretionary Voting: Potential Impact on a Company’s Proxy Season Planning”

© 2009- Duane Morris LLP. Duane Morris is a registered service mark of Duane Morris LLP.

The opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author and are not to be construed as legal advice.

Proudly powered by WordPress