On July 30, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The most dramatic change to federal securities laws since the 1930s, the Act radically redesigns federal regulation of public company corporate governance and reporting obligations. It also significantly tightens accountability standards for directors and officers, auditors, securities analysts and legal counsel. Student opinions as to the relative importance of the key provisions of the act will vary. Key provisions in the order of presentation in the text are: - Creation of an Oversight Board - Corporate executive accountability - Non-audit services - Retention of work papers - Auditor rotation - Conflicts of interest - hiring of auditor - Internal control