Increasing Transparency and Accountability in Oil Prices Act of 2008

Bill: 110-hr-6334
Sponsor: Rep. Etheridge, Bob [D-NC-2]
Introduced: 2008-06-20 in the House
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Appropriations
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Commodity exchanges
Derivative securities
Diesel motor
Economics and Public Finance
Energy prices
Federal employees
Finance and Financial Sector
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Futures trading
Gasoline
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Independent regulatory commissions
Information disclosure (Securities law)
Information technology
Petroleum
Recruiting of employees
Science, Technology, Communications
Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
action_date: 2008-06-20
text: 
Increasing Transparency and Accountability in Oil Prices Act of 2008 - Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should immediately send to Congress a request for emergency appropriations for FY2008 for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in an amount that is sufficient to: (1) help restore public confidence in energy commodities markets and federal oversight of those markets; (2) potentially impose limits on excessive speculation that may be increasing the price of oil, gasoline, diesel, and other energy commodities; (3) significantly improve the information technology capabilities of the CFTC to help it effectively regulate the energy futures markets; and (4) fund at least 100 new full-time positions at the CFTC to oversee energy commodity market speculation and to enforce the Commodity Exchange Act.
 
Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to provide for additional employees for improved enforcement. 
 
Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to address the kind of case in which the CFTC grants or considers granting relief to a foreign board of trade from the requirement that it become a designated contract market, derivatives transaction execution facility, or other registered entity with respect to an energy commodity physically delivered in the United States. Requires the CFTC, before granting or considering such relief, to determine that the foreign board of trade: (1) applies comparable principles or requirements regarding the daily publication of trading information and position limits or accountability levels for speculators as apply to a designated contract market, derivatives transaction execution facility, or other registered entity trading energy commodities physically delivered in the United States; and (2) provides such information to the Commission regarding the extent of speculative and nonspeculative trading in the energy commodity that is comparable to the information the Commission determines necessary to publish a Commitment of Traders report for such a designated contract market, derivatives transaction execution facility, or other registered entity.
 
Requires the Commission to disaggregate and make public monthly: (1) the number of positions and total value of index funds and other passive, long-only positions in energy markets; and (2) data on speculative positions relative to bona fide physical hedgers in those markets.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-10-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.
action_date: 2008-06-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H6105-6106)
action_date: 2008-06-20
text: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
action_date: 2008-06-20
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2008-06-20
text: Introduced in House