# What This Bill Actually Does

Congress is trying to block a new rule from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that would require publicly traded companies to disclose information about their climate-related risks and environmental impact. Think of it this way: the SEC wanted companies to tell investors more details about how climate change might affect their business—things like whether rising temperatures could disrupt their supply chains, increase their costs, or damage their facilities. This bill is Congress saying "no, we don't want that rule to happen."

The rule the SEC created would have standardized how companies report climate information, making it easier for investors to compare environmental risks across different companies. Right now, companies report this information in wildly different ways, or sometimes not at all, which makes it hard for investors to make informed decisions. The SEC's rule would have changed that by requiring consistent, detailed climate disclosures. If this bill passes, that rule gets rejected and companies can go back to reporting climate information however they want—or not reporting it at all.

Who this affects depends on your perspective. If you're an investor or own stocks, this means you'll have less standardized information about the climate risks in the companies you own. If you run a business, this means you won't have to spend money and resources gathering and reporting detailed climate data to the SEC. Environmental advocates argue this hurts transparency and makes it harder to understand which companies are vulnerable to climate-related problems. Business groups argue the SEC's rule was too burdensome and costly. Essentially, this bill is about whether companies should be forced to tell investors more about their climate risks—and Congress is saying they shouldn't be.

A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to "The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors".