[20040915]RS21530_安然事件后的会计改革：第108届国会议题.pdf

Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21530Updated September 15, 2004Accounting Reform After Enron: Issues in the 108th CongressMark JicklingSpecialist in Public FinanceGovernment and Finance DivisionSummaryThe sudden collapse of Enron Corporation in late 2001, amid revelations that itspublic accounting statements had been manipulated and falsified to conceal thecompanys true financial position, was the first in a series of major accounting scandalsinvolving American corporations. The response of the 107th Congress was to pass theSarbanes-Oxley Act (P.L. 107-204), sometimes described as the most sweepingamendments to the securities laws since the 1930s. The law strengthened regulation ofauditors, required corporate management to certify the accuracy of their firms financialstatements, and increased penalties for a number of fraud-related offenses. (For asummary of Sarbanes-Oxley, see CRS Report RL31879.)The 108th Congress is unlikely to consider legislation as far-reaching as Sarbanes-Oxley, but several issues related to accounting reform remain. These include questionsof accounting for stock options an