I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1965 
To exempt smaller public companies from requirements relating to the use 
of Extensible Business Reporting Language for periodic reporting to 
the Securities and Exchange Commission, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 22, 2015 
Mr. HURT of Virginia introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To exempt smaller public companies from requirements relat-
ing to the use of Extensible Business Reporting Lan-
guage for periodic reporting to the Securities and Ex-
change Commission, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Small Company Disclo-
sure Simplification Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXEMPTION FROM XBRL REQUIREMENTS FOR 
EMERGING GROWTH COMPANIES AND OTHER 
SMALLER COMPANIES. 
(a) EXEMPTION FOR EMERGING GROWTH COMPA-
NIES.—Emerging growth companies are exempted from 
the requirements to use Extensible Business Reporting 
Language (XBRL) for financial statements and other 
periodic reporting required to be filed with the Commis-
sion under the securities laws. Such companies may elect 
to use XBRL for such reporting. 
(b) EXEMPTION
FOR
OTHER
SMALLER
COMPA-
NIES.—Issuers with total annual gross revenues of less 
than $250,000,000 are exempt from the requirements to 
use XBRL for financial statements and other periodic re-
porting required to be filed with the Commission under 
the securities laws. Such issuers may elect to use XBRL 
for such reporting. An exemption under this subsection 
shall continue in effect until— 
(1) the date that is five years after the date of 
enactment of this Act; or 
(2) the date that is two years after a deter-
mination by the Commission, by order after con-
ducting the analysis required by section 3, that the 
benefits of such requirements to such issuers out-
weigh the costs, but no earlier than three years after 
enactment of this Act. 
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(c) MODIFICATIONS
TO REGULATIONS.—Not later 
than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Commission shall revise its regulations under parts 229, 
230, 232, 239, 240, and 249 of title 17, Code of Federal 
Regulations, to reflect the exemptions set forth in sub-
sections (a) and (b). 
SEC. 3. ANALYSIS BY THE SEC. 
The Commission shall conduct an analysis of the 
costs and benefits to issuers described in section 2(b) of 
the requirements to use XBRL for financial statements 
and other periodic reporting required to be filed with the 
Commission under the securities laws. Such analysis shall 
include an assessment of— 
(1) how such costs and benefits may differ from 
the costs and benefits identified by the Commission 
in the order relating to interactive data to improve 
financial reporting (dated January 30, 2009; 74 
Fed. Reg. 6776) because of the size of such issuers; 
(2) the effects on efficiency, competition, capital 
formation, and financing and on analyst coverage of 
such issuers (including any such effects resulting 
from use of XBRL by investors); 
(3) the costs to such issuers of— 
(A) submitting data to the Commission in 
XBRL; 
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(B) posting data on the website of the 
issuer in XBRL; 
(C) software necessary to prepare, submit, 
or post data in XBRL; and 
(D) any additional consulting services or 
filing agent services; 
(4) the benefits to the Commission in terms of 
improved ability to monitor securities markets, as-
sess the potential outcomes of regulatory alter-
natives, and enhance investor participation in cor-
porate governance and promote capital formation; 
and 
(5) the effectiveness of standards in the United 
States for interactive filing data relative to the 
standards of international counterparts. 
SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
Not later than one year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Commission shall provide the Committee 
on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 
of the Senate a report regarding— 
(1) the progress in implementing XBRL report-
ing within the Commission; 
(2) the use of XBRL data by Commission offi-
cials; 
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(3) the use of XBRL data by investors; 
(4) the results of the analysis required by sec-
tion 3; and 
(5) any additional information the Commission 
considers relevant for increasing transparency, de-
creasing costs, and increasing efficiency of regu-
latory filings with the Commission. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
As used in this Act, the terms ‘‘Commission’’, 
‘‘emerging growth company’’, ‘‘issuer’’, and ‘‘securities 
laws’’ have the meanings given such terms in section 3 
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c). 
Æ 
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