Congresswoman Houchin Introduces No ESG Act To Limit Far-Left Proposals

Congresswoman Erin Houchin (R-Ind.-09), a member of the Financial Services Committee and the ESG Working Group, introduced the No Expensive, Stifling Governance (No ESG) Act. The bill would prevent far-left activists from forcing everyday investors to vote on duplicative or substantially similar Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) shareholder proposals.

“Southern Indiana companies shouldn’t have to deal with duplicative far-left shareholder proposals year after year. That’s why I’ve introduced this first of its kind legislation to put an end to redundant ESG proposals so that meetings can stay focused on the financial best interests of shareholders,” said Congresswoman Houchin.

The No ESG Act would stop a new proposed rule under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that would greenlight left-wing ESG proposals even if shareholders have recently rejected similar proposals. In doing so, this bill provides companies with the means to exclude duplicative or substantially similar shareholder proposals to save time and money for everyday investors. This is the first bill of its kind to be introduced in Congress.

Last week, Congresswoman Houchin spoke in the Financial Services Committee on the need to reform the current shareholder proposal process.

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Background:

Many companies, including those with a large presence in the Ninth District, must deal with duplicative or very similar ESG shareholder proposals every year. Constituents who are invested in these companies have to repeatedly vote on these proposals or delegate their voting power to another entity, even when substantially similar proposals have failed. The proposed rule would add burdensome corporate bureaucracy and divert attention away from actual business matters.

This bill seeks to cut down on these redundant proposals and keep shareholder meetings more focused on issues that would promote the financial best interest and overall business operations.