In response to a steady stream of accounting fraud involving high-profile companies, the United States passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, commonly referred to as SOX. This dramatically reshaped the compliance landscape for public companies, as well as public accounting firms. Drafted by U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes and U.S. Representative Michael G. Oxley, the act took effect in July 2002 and remains in force today.