Contact Congress
Below is a listing of those Senators and Representatives who serve on the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee in the U.S. Congress. These Members oversee the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). If you agree with the Coalition's objectives, click on a link for a Member from your state and send an email urging support for a comprehensive review of proxy regulations by the SEC.
Here is a sample email communication which would be helpful to what the Coalition is trying to accomplish:
Dear Senator/Congressman _____:
I am an individual investor who is concerned about shareholder voting and communications issues.
More than 75% of the shares of public companies are held in "street name," meaning that they are held in the name of a third-party financial intermediary, such as a broker or a bank. This system ensures an efficient transfer of shares among owners and promotes liquidity in our capital markets.
Unfortunately, short selling practices, complex derivative transactions, and an outdated process for shareholder voting are now challenging the integrity of the corporate election system. Brokers and other financial institutions are not able to accurately account for shares that are entitled to vote on important corporate matters. Hedge funds and other financial players are using share lending and swap transactions to separate economic interest from voting rights, in order to influence the results of a shareholder meeting. And public companies are not able to use modern technology to communicate with individual investors who own shares in their enterprises.
The current shareholder voting and communications system is more than 30 years old and needs to be updated and reformed. For the protection of individual investors and other participants in our capital markets, please direct the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to initiate a comprehensive evaluation of the current shareholder voting and communications system.
Thank you.
YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION
If you receive a response from your elected Senator or Representative, please forward the email or send the response to us here at the Coalition. Click here for information about how to contact us.
Here are the links to the individual websites for Members of the Senate Banking Committee:
U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Chairman
| Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) | Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), Ranking Member |
| Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) | Senator Robert F. Bennett (R-UT) |
| Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) | Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) |
| Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) | Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) |
| Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) | Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) |
| Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) | Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) |
| Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) | Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) |
| Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) | Senator David Vitter (R-LA) |
| Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) | Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) |
| Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) | Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) |
| Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) | |
| Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) |
Here are the links to the individual websites for Members of the House Financial Services Committee:
U.S. House Committee on Financial Services
Barney Frank (D-MA), Chairman
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