UCI Law Research Guides: Securities Law & Regulation: Laws & Regs (2024)

Major pieces of legislation, such as the Securities Act of 1933 andthe Securities Exchange Act of 1934, provide the framework for the Security Exchange Commission's(SEC)oversight of the securities markets. These statutes are broadly drafted, establishing basic principles and objectives.

• Securities Act of 1933
• Securities Exchange Act of 1934
• Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (repealed)
• Trust Indenture Act of 1939
• Investment Company Act of 1940
• Investment Advisers Act of 1940
• Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970
• Public Company Accounting Reform &Corp.Responsibility Act of 2002 (Sarbanes-Oxley)
• Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank)

You can find general descriptions of the objectives of each of these statutes in the "About the SEC."

TIP: The SEC website links to the text of the federal securities laws. These texts include references to the United States Code (USC). These referencesare the official citations for federal laws. Securities laws are published inTitle 15 of the USCFor example, the Securities Act of 1933 is 15 USC § 77a et seq., while thethe Securities Act of 1934 is15 USC§ 78a et seq.

While the SEC directlyis the main enforcer of the nation's securities laws, each individual state has its own securities laws and rules. These state rules are known as "Blue Sky Laws."

The Uniform Securities Act is a model statute designed to guide each state in drafting its state securities law. It was created by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL).

Versions of the Uniform Securities Act are available on Heinonline.

The SEC engages in rulemaking to maintain fair and orderly markets and to protect investors by altering regulations or creating new ones.

The Federal Register. The Federal Register is the official daily publication where the SEC and other federal agencies first publish proposed regulations for comment, among other details.The Regulatory Actions section of the SECwebpage has links to the Federal Register publication of a specific rule.

The Code of Federal Regulations. After publication in the Federal Register, final regulations are then arranged by subject into the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). SEC rules are found in Chapter II of Title 17 — Commodity and Securities Exchanges.

• 17 CFR, part 230 - Securities Act of 1933
• 17 CFR, part 240 - Securities Exchange Act of 1934
• 17 CFR, part 250 - Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935
• 17 CFR, part 260 - Trust Indenture Act of 1939
• 17 CFR, part 270 - Investment Company Act of 1940
• 17 CFR, part 275 - Investment Advisers Act of 1940
• 17 CFR, part 300 - Securities Investor Protection Act (Rules of SIPC)

Tip: Individuals often refer to SEC rules and regulations by the number only, without reference to the entire CFR citation. For example if you are looking for Rule 10b-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the citation is 17 CFR 240.10b-5. An idiosyncrasy of the federal securities laws is that the term “regulation” often refers to a collection of rules.