Senate Majority Leader Reid Introduces New Spending Bill; Vote Set for Tuesday

Under the original spending bill, the SEC would have gotten an increase of $205 million, or 18%, over the agency’s FY 2010 budget—putting the agency’s total budget at $1.3 billion. The boost would have helped the agency implement the scores of new rules under Dodd-Frank, and also help the agency with its oversight and enforcement duties as well as give needed funds for technology updates.

Despite the fact that the SEC was allocated more funding under Dodd-Frank, the Commission listed on its website in December its plans to defer launching a number of offices created under Dodd-Frank, like the whistleblower, credit ratings agency, investor advocacy, and municipal securities offices, due to “budget uncertainty.”

That uncertainty has been a concern of SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro since at least last November, IAA Executive Director David Tittsworth said in a Dec. 16 interview in which he discussed likely regulatory and legislative developments following passage of the compromise tax bill by the House on Dec. 16.