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Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2025
Summary
This bill would expand the ability of companies to test investor interest in potential public offerings without formally registering securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Currently, only emerging growth companies can engage in these preliminary communications; the bill would allow any issuer to do so. The bill also allows any company to confidentially submit draft registration statements to the SEC for staff review before public filing, though they must publicly file within a set timeframe depending on the type of offering. For initial public offerings, companies have 10 days to publicly file; for initial exchange registrations, 10 days before listing; and for follow-on offerings, 48 hours before the effective date. Before creating new regulations for non-emerging growth companies, the SEC must report its findings to Congress.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Wagner, Ann [R-MO-2] (R-MO)
2 cosponsors
Actions (13)
- Jun 24, 2025 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. · senate
- Jun 23, 2025 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. · house
- Jun 23, 2025 On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2872-2873) · house
- Jun 23, 2025 Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2872-2873)
- Jun 23, 2025 DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3381. · house
- Jun 23, 2025 Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2872-2873) · house
- Jun 23, 2025 Mrs. Wagner moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. · house
- Jun 3, 2025 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 86. · house
- Jun 3, 2025 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Financial Services. H. Rept. 119-116. · house
- May 20, 2025 Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 48 - 2. · house
- May 20, 2025 Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
- May 14, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. · house
- May 14, 2025 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Text versions (4)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
AN ACT
To amend the Securities Act of 1933 to expand the ability to use testing the waters and confidential draft registration submissions, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. EXPANDING TESTING THE WATERS.
Section 5(d) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77e(d)) is amended—
(1) by striking “Notwithstanding” and inserting the following:
“(1) In general.—Notwithstanding”;
(2) by striking “an emerging growth company or any person authorized to act on behalf of an emerging growth company” and inserting “an issuer or any person authorized to act on behalf of an issuer”; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
“(2) Additional requirements.—
“(A) In general.—The Commission may promulgate regulations, subject to public notice and comment, to impose such other terms, conditions, or requirements on the engaging in oral or written communications described under paragraph (1) by an issuer other than an emerging growth company as the Commission determines appropriate.
“(B) Report to congress.—Prior to any rulemaking described under subparagraph (A), the Commission shall submit to Congress a report containing a list of the findings supporting the basis of the rulemaking.”.
SEC. 3. CONFIDENTIAL REVIEW OF DRAFT REGISTRATION STATEMENTS.
Section 6(e) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77f(e)) is amended—
(1) in the heading, by striking “Emerging Growth Companies” and inserting “Confidential Review of Draft Registration Statements”;
(2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
(3) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
“(1) In general.—Any issuer may, with respect to an initial public offering, initial registration of a security of the issuer under section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78l(b)), or follow-on offering, confidentially submit to the Commission a draft registration statement, for confidential nonpublic review by the staff of the Commission prior to public filing, provided that the initial confidential submission and all amendments thereto shall be publicly filed with the Commission not later than—
“(A) in the case of an initial public offering, 10 days before the effective date of such registration statement;
“(B) in the case of an initial registration of a security of the issuer under such section 12(b), 10 days before listing on an exchange; or
“(C) in the case of any offering after an initial public offering or an initial registration under such section 12(b), 48 hours before the effective date of such registration statement.
“(2) Additional requirements.—
“(A) In general.—The Commission may promulgate regulations, subject to public notice and comment, to impose such other terms, conditions, or requirements on the submission of draft registration statements described under this subsection by an issuer other than an emerging growth company as the Commission determines appropriate.
“(B) Report to congress.—Prior to any rulemaking described under subparagraph (A), the Commission shall submit to Congress a report containing a list of the findings supporting the basis of the rulemaking.”.
Passed the House of Representatives June 23, 2025.
Attest:
Clerk. 119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3381
AN ACT
To amend the Securities Act of 1933 to expand the ability to use testing the waters and confidential draft registration submissions, and for other purposes.
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