Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE National, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Amend Its Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, 61177-61182 [2018-25896]
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61177
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Alexys Stanley,
Regulatory Affairs Analyst.
set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
of the most significant parts of such
statements.
[FR Doc. 2018–25901 Filed 11–27–18; 8:45 am]
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and the
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
BILLING CODE 6325–38–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–84644; File No. SR–
NYSENAT–2018–24]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
National, Inc.; Notice of Filing and
Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed
Rule Change To Amend Its Certificate
of Incorporation and Bylaws
November 21, 2018.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) 1 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(‘‘Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3
notice is hereby given that on November
20, 2018, NYSE National, Inc.
(‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘NYSE National’’) filed
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in
Items I, II, and III below, which Items
have been prepared by the Exchange.
The Commission is publishing this
notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested
persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to amend its
certificate of incorporation and bylaws
to (1) harmonize certain provisions
thereunder with similar provisions in
the governing documents of the
Exchange’s national securities exchange
affiliates and parent companies; and (2)
make clarifying and updating changes.
The proposed rule change is available
on the Exchange’s website at
www.nyse.com, at the principal office of
the Exchange, and at the Commission’s
Public Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
self-regulatory organization included
statements concerning the purpose of,
and basis for, the proposed rule change
and discussed any comments it received
on the proposed rule change. The text
of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below.
The Exchange has prepared summaries,
1 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
U.S.C. 78a.
3 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
2 15
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1. Purpose
(1) Generally [sic]
The Exchange proposes to the amend
the Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation of the Exchange
(‘‘Exchange Certificate’’) and the Fifth
Amended and Restated Bylaws of the
Exchange (‘‘Exchange Bylaws’’) to (1)
harmonize certain provisions
thereunder with similar provisions in
the governing documents of the
Exchange’s national securities exchange
affiliates 4 and parent companies; and
(2) make clarifying and updating
changes.
The Exchange is owned by NYSE
Group, Inc. (‘‘NYSE Group’’), which in
turn is indirectly wholly owned by
NYSE Holdings LLC (‘‘NYSE
Holdings’’). NYSE Holdings is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Intercontinental
Holdings, Inc. (‘‘ICE Holdings’’), which
is in turn wholly owned by the
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.
(‘‘ICE’’).5
The Exchange operates as a separate
self-regulatory organization and has
rules and membership rosters distinct
from the rules and membership rosters
of the other NYSE Group Exchanges. At
the same time, however, the Exchange
believes it is important for each of the
NYSE Group Exchanges to have a
consistent approach to corporate
governance in certain matters, to
simplify complexity and create greater
4 The Exchange has four registered national
securities exchange affiliates: NYSE Arca, Inc.
(‘‘NYSE Arca’’), New York Stock Exchange LLC
(‘‘NYSE’’), NYSE American LLC (‘‘NYSE
American’’), and Chicago Stock Exchange, Inc.
(‘‘CHX’’ and together with the Exchange, NYSE
Arca, NYSE American, and NYSE, the ‘‘NYSE
Group Exchanges’’). CHX has filed to change its
name to NYSE Chicago, Inc. See Exchange Act
Release No. 84494 (October 26, 2018) (SR–CHX–
2018–05) (‘‘NYSE Chicago Release’’) (notice of filing
and immediate effectiveness of proposal to reflect
name changes of the Exchange and its direct parent
company and to amend certain corporate
governance provisions). The rule changes set forth
in the NYSE Chicago Release will become operative
upon the Second Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation of Chicago Stock Exchange, Inc.
(‘‘NYSE Chicago Certificate’’) becoming effective
pursuant to its filing with the Secretary of State of
the State of Delaware.
5 See Exchange Act Release No. 79902 (January
30, 2017), 82 FR 9258 (February 3, 2017) (SR–NSX–
2016–16) (order approving proposed rule change in
connection with proposed acquisition of the
Exchange by NYSE Group, Inc.).
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consistency among the NYSE Group
Exchanges.6
Because the Exchange is a Delaware
corporation, most of the proposed
changes are based on the governing
documents of CHX, which is also a
Delaware corporation, and NYSE Arca,
which is a Delaware non-stock
corporation, as the most comparable
NYSE Group Exchanges.7 The proposed
Exchange Certificate and Exchange
Bylaws reflect the expectation that the
Exchange will continue to be operated
with a governance structure
substantially similar to that of other
NYSE Group Exchanges, primarily CHX
and NYSE Arca.
The other changes described herein
would become operative upon the
Exchange Certificate becoming effective
pursuant to its filing with the Secretary
of State of the State of Delaware.
The proposed amendments described
below are primarily based on the
Second Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation of Chicago
Stock Exchange, Inc. (‘‘NYSE Chicago
Certificate’’), the Second Amended and
Restated By-Laws of NYSE Chicago, Inc.
(‘‘NYSE Chicago Bylaws’’),8 and the
Amended and Restated Bylaws of NYSE
Arca, Inc. (‘‘NYSE Arca Bylaws’’). In
addition, the amendments to the
indemnification provisions are based on
the Eighth Amended and Restated
Bylaws of Intercontinental Exchange,
Inc. (‘‘ICE Bylaws’’) and the Sixth
Amended and Restated Bylaws of
Intercontinental Exchange Holdings,
Inc. (‘‘ICE Holdings Bylaws’’).
Proposed Amendments to the Exchange
Certificate
The Exchange proposes to amend the
Exchange Certificate as follows.
Introductory Paragraph
In a non-substantive change, the
Exchange proposes to delete the
sentence stating ‘‘[t]he Certificate of
Incorporation was restated on June 29,
2006, December 30, 2011, and February
18, 2015.’’
Article FIRST
In a non-substantive change, the
Exchange proposes to replace ‘‘NYSE
NATIONAL, INC.’’ with ‘‘NYSE
National, Inc.’’ in Article FIRST, to
6 See
NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 3.
other NYSE Group Exchanges, NYSE and
NYSE American, are limited liability companies
organized under New York and Delaware limited
liability company law, respectively.
8 The NYSE Chicago Certificate and NYSE
Chicago Bylaws have been filed with the SEC, and
will become operative when the NYSE Chicago
Certificate becomes effective pursuant to its filing
with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 4.
7 The
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reflect that the legal name of the
Exchange is not entirely in capital
letters.
Article SECOND and Certificate of
Change of Registered Agent and/or
Registered Office
In a non-substantive change, the
Exchange proposes to update the
address of the registered office and
name of the registered agent, as
previously filed, and, because such
address and office are no longer the
initial address and office, delete the
word ‘‘initial’’ from the provision. The
Exchange also proposes to delete the
‘‘Certificate of Change of Registered
Agent and/or Registered Office.’’ 9
Article FIFTH
Current paragraph (b) of Article
FIFTH (Removal of Directors) provides
that any director may be removed from
office by a vote of the stockholders at
any time with or without cause, except
that Non-Affiliated Directors, as defined
in the Exchange Bylaws, may only be
removed for cause. The Exchange
proposes to amend the definition of
‘‘cause’’ to provide that the list set forth
in the provision is inclusive. The
Exchange notes that the revised
provision would be consistent with
Article FIFTH(b) of the NYSE Chicago
Certificate.10
Article EIGHTH
In a non-substantive change, the
Exchange proposes to correct a
typographical error in the title of Article
EIGHTH, correcting ‘‘Liabilitv’’ with
‘‘Liability’’.
Article NINTH
In a non-substantive change, the
Exchange proposes to amend Article
NINTH to replace a reference to
9 See Exchange Act Release No. 82925 (March 22,
2018), 83 FR 13165 (March 27, 2018) (SR–
NYSENAT–2018–04).
10 See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 14.
See also Eighth Amended and Restated Bylaws of
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (‘‘Cboe BZX Bylaws’’),
Section 3.4(c) (providing that ‘‘[n]o Representative
Director may be removed from office by a vote of
the stockholders at any time except for cause,
which shall include, but not limited to, (i) a breach
of a Representative Director’s duty of loyalty to the
Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) acts or
omissions not in good faith or which involve
intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of
law, (iii) transactions from which a Representative
Director derived an improper personal benefit, or
(iv) a failure of a Representative Director to be free
from a statutory disqualification (as defined in
Section 3(a)(39) of the Act)’’) (emphasis added;
NYSE Operating Agreement, Article II, Section
2.03(l) (providing that cause ‘‘shall include, without
limitation, the failure of [a] Director to be free of
any statutory disqualification . . .’’); and NYSE
American Operating Agreement, Article II, Section
2.03(l) (same).
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‘‘Delaware’’ with ‘‘the State of
Delaware.’’
Date
The Exchange proposes to update the
date in the final paragraph.
Proposed Amendments to the Exchange
Bylaws
The Exchange proposes to amend the
Exchange Bylaws as follows.
Conforming Changes
In non-substantive changes, the
Exchange proposes to delete the cover
page and table of contents of the
Exchange Bylaws, and amend the title to
reflect that the proposed Exchange
Bylaws are the ‘‘Sixth Amended and
Restated Bylaws of NYSE National,
Inc.’’
Article III (Board of Directors)
Section 3.6 (Vacancies): Section
3.6(a)(i) provides that any vacancy on
the Board may be filled by the Chairman
of the Board, subject to the approval by
a majority of the directors then in office,
and that any vacancy will be filled with
a person who satisfies the classification
associated with the vacant seat.
In an administrative change, the
Exchange proposes to add that that the
stockholders may also fill any vacancy,
and those vacancies resulting from
removal from office by a vote of the
stockholders for cause may be filled by
a vote of the stockholders at the same
meeting at which such removal occurs.
Because, under Section 3.2(a), the
stockholders determine the number of
directors, a new directorship may be
created. Accordingly, the Exchange
proposes to add to Section 3.6(a)(i) that
any newly created directorship will be
filled with a person who satisfies the
classification associated with the seat.
The first two sentences of the
amended paragraph would be as follows
(additions italicized):
Notwithstanding any provision herein
to the contrary, any vacancy in the
Board, however occurring, including a
vacancy resulting from an increase in
the number of the directors, may be
filled (i) by the Chairman of the Board,
subject to the approval by a majority of
the directors then in office, or (ii) by
action taken by the stockholders of the
Exchange, and those vacancies resulting
from removal from office by a vote of the
stockholders for cause may be filled by
a vote of the stockholders at the same
meeting at which such removal occurs.
Any vacancy or newly-created
directorship will be filled with a person
who satisfies the classification (e.g.,
public) associated with the vacant seat.
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The change would be consistent with
clause (ii) of Article II, Section 5 of the
NYSE Chicago Bylaws, which was
amended at the time of its acquisition
by ICE.11
Section 3.7 (Removal): Section 3.7
provides that any director may be
removed from office by a vote of the
stockholders at any time with or
without cause, except that non-affiliated
directors may only be removed for
cause. The Exchange proposes to amend
the definition of ‘‘cause’’ to provide that
the list set forth in the provision is
inclusive, by replacing ‘‘mean only’’
with ‘‘include.’’ As a result of the
proposed amendment, the definition of
‘‘cause’’ would be substantially similar
to the definition in Article FIFTH(b) of
the NYSE Chicago Certificate.
In a non-substantive change, the
Exchange proposes to amend clause (iii)
to replace a reference to ‘‘Delaware’’
with ‘‘the State of Delaware.’’
Section 3.9 (Regular Meetings):
Section 3.9 specifies that regular
meetings may be held, with or without
notice, at such time or place as the
Board may specify in a resolution. The
Exchange proposes an administrative
change to eliminate the requirement for
a Board resolution. The change would
be consistent with the governing
documents of the other NYSE Group
Exchanges, which do not require a
board resolution in order to call a
meeting.12
Section 3.10 (Special Meetings):
Paragraph (a) of Section 3.10 permits
special meetings of the Board to be
called on two days’ notice to each
Director by the Chairman or the Chief
Executive Officer, or by the Secretary
upon the request of any three Directors.
In an administrative change, The
Exchange proposes to reduce the
minimum notice requirement from two
days to one day, consistent with Article
II, Section 9(a) of the NYSE Chicago
Bylaws.13 The Exchange believes that
11 See Exchange Act Release No. 83635 (July 13,
2018), 83 FR 34182 (July 19, 2018) (SR–CHX–2018–
004), and Partial Amendment No. 2 to SR–CHX–
2018–004 (June 11, 2018).
12 See NYSE Arca Bylaws, Article III, Section
3.05; NYSE Chicago Bylaws, Article II, Section 8;
NYSE Operating Agreement, Article II, Section
2.03(c); and NYSE American Operating Agreement,
Article II, Section 2.03(c).
13 See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 24.
One day of notice would be consistent with the
bylaws of other national securities exchanges. See
NYSE Operating Agreement, Article II, Section
2.03(c) (requiring 12 or 24 hours of notice, with the
exception of mailed notice); NYSE American
Operating Agreement, Article II, Section 2.03(c)
(requiring 12 or 24 hours of notice, with the
exception of mailed notice); Cboe BZX Bylaws,
Section 3.11 (requiring 24 hours of notice); Tenth
Amended and Restated Bylaws of Cboe Exchange,
Inc. (‘‘Cboe Exchange Bylaws’’), Section 3.11
(requiring 24 hours of notice); and Bylaws of
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reducing the minimum notice
requirement to one day is reasonable as
it would facilitate the Board meeting
quickly.
Paragraph (b) of Section 3.10 requires
the person calling a special meeting to
fix the time and place at which the
meeting will be held, and deems notice
to be given five business days after
deposit in the United States mail. In an
administrative change, the Exchange
proposes to:
• Eliminate the requirement that the
person calling the special meeting fix
the time and place of the meeting, as
Article III, Section 3.8 already addresses
the place and mode of Board meetings;
• state that notice may be given by
written, electronic or telephonic means;
and
• reduce the period for deemed notice
of mailed notice from five to two
business days.
The changes would be consistent with
Article II, Section 9(b) of the NYSE
Chicago Bylaws.
Sections 3.11 (Voting; Quorum and
Action by the Board) and 3.14 (Action
in Lieu of Meeting): Section 3.11
provides that the presence of a majority
of the directors then in office shall
constitute a quorum for Board meetings.
Section 3.14 provides that, unless
otherwise restricted by statute, the
Exchange Certificate or the Exchange
By-Laws, action may be taken without a
meeting if certain procedural
requirements are met. The Exchange
proposes to make the following
administrative changes to the
provisions:
• In Section 3.11, the Exchange
proposes to clarify that the proposed
quorum requirement would apply
‘‘[e]xcept as otherwise required by
law’’ 14 and to change a reference to
‘‘statute’’ with ‘‘law.’’
• In Section 3.14, the Exchange
proposes to replace ‘‘restricted by
statute’’ with ‘‘provided by law.’’
The change to add an exception to
Section 3.11 would allow the written
notice to be consistent with both
applicable law and the Exchange
Bylaws, should applicable law set forth
specific requirements that differ from
the Bylaw provision. The Exchange
proposes to change ‘‘statute’’ to ‘‘law,’’
as the latter is a broader term, which
includes non-statutory law, such as
common law. The changes would be
Nasdaq, Inc., Article IV, Section 4.12 (requiring that
notice be sent no later than ‘‘the day before the day’’
of the meeting, with the exception of mailed
notice).
14 See, e.g. DCGL Section 141(b).
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61179
consistent with the NYSE Chicago
Bylaws.15
Article IV (Stockholders)
Sections 4.1 (Annual Meeting), 4.2
(Special Meetings), and 4.4 (Quorum
and Vote Required for Action): Among
other provisions, Sections 4.1 and 4.2
set forth the notice requirements for
annual and special meetings of
stockholders. Section 4.4 sets forth the
quorum and voting requirements. For
the reasons set forth above, the
Exchange proposes to make the
following administrative changes to the
provisions:
• The Exchange proposes to add
‘‘[e]xcept as otherwise provided by
law,’’ before the sentences in Sections
4.1 and 4.2 that set forth the written
notice requirements.16
• In Section 4.4, the Exchange
proposes to replace ‘‘statute’’ with
‘‘law’’ in paragraph (a) and ‘‘Statute’’
with ‘‘General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware’’ in paragraph (b).
The changes would be consistent with
the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.17
Section 4.3 (List of Stockholders):
Section 4.3 provides that the Secretary
or a designated person shall have charge
of the stock ledger of the Exchange and,
before every stockholder meeting, shall
prepare a list of stockholders entitled to
vote. In an administrative change, the
Exchange proposes to amend the
provision such that, as permitted by
Section 219(a) of the DGCL, the
‘‘Exchange’’ keeps the ledger and
prepares the list of stockholders.18 The
change would be consistent with Article
III, Section 4 of the NYSE Chicago
Bylaws.19
Section 4.6 (Action in Lieu of
Meeting): Section 4.6 permits
stockholder action to be taken by
written consent and provides certain
requirements related to such written
consent. In an administrative change,
the Exchange proposes to amend the
provisions to permit stockholder action
to be taken by written consent and to
the extent provided by the DGCL, but
only if the matter to be voted upon were
approved by the Board and the Board
had directed that the matter be brought
before the stockholders. The amended
provision would be substantially similar
15 See NYSE Chicago Bylaws, Article II, Sections
10 and 13; and NYSE Chicago Release, supra note
4, at 26–27.
16 See Del. Code tit. 8, § 222.
17 See NYSE Chicago Bylaws, Article III, Sections
1, 2, and 5(b); and NYSE Chicago Release, supra
note 4, at 29–31.
18 Del. Code tit. 8, § 219(a).
19 See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 30.
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to Article III, Section 7 of the NYSE
Chicago Bylaws.20
Article V (Committees)
Section 5.2 (Appointment; Vacancies;
and Removal): Section 5.2(b) provides
that any vacancy in a Board committee
shall be filled by the Chief Executive
Officer with the approval of the Board.
Consistent with the DGCL and Article
IV, Section 2(b) of the NYSE Chicago
Bylaws,21 the Exchange proposes to
provide that only the Board can fill a
vacancy in a Board committee.
Section 5.6 (Regulatory Oversight
Committee): Section 5.6 establishes the
powers and responsibilities of the
Regulatory Oversight Committee, and is
substantially the same as the related
provisions in the governing documents
of the other NYSE Group Exchanges. 22
Among other things, the provision states
that ‘‘[t]he Board may, on affirmative
vote of a majority of directors, at any
time remove a member of the ROC for
cause.’’ The Exchange proposes to add
language clarifying that the majority
affirmative vote requirement is based on
the ‘‘directors then in office,’’ as
opposed to total number of seats on the
Board. The change would be consistent
with Article IV, Section 6 of the NYSE
Chicago Bylaws.23
Article VII (Indemnification)
Current Article VII includes
provisions related to indemnification by
the Exchange. As a wholly-owned
subsidiary of ICE, the Exchange believes
it appropriate to harmonize the
Exchange’s indemnification provisions
with those of ICE and the Exchange’s
intermediate holding company, ICE
Holdings.24 The same change was made
to Article VI of the NYSE Chicago
Bylaws.25
Accordingly, the Exchange proposes
to delete the text of Section 7.1
(Indemnification) in its entirety and
replace it with proposed text that is
substantially similar to the CHX, ICE
and ICE Holdings provisions, with the
exception of changes to be consistent
20 See
id., at 31–32.
Del. Code tit. 8, § 141(c)(1).
22 See NYSE Arca Rule 3.3; NYSE Operating
Agreement, Article II, Section 2.03(h)(ii); NYSE
American Operating Agreement, Article II, Section
2.03(h)(ii); NYSE Chicago Bylaws, Article IV,
Section 6.
23 See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 35.
The Exchange understands that NYSE, NYSE
American, and NYSE Arca propose to file similar
changes to their respective ROC provisions.
24 See ICE Bylaws, Article X, Section 10.6, and
ICE Holdings Bylaws, Article X, Section 10.6.
25 See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 41.
The Exchange understands that NYSE, NYSE
American, and NYSE Arca propose to file similar
changes to their respective indemnification
provisions.
21 See
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with the Exchange Bylaws’
terminology.26 The proposed text
follows:
(a) The Exchange shall, to the fullest
extent permitted by law, as those laws
may be amended and supplemented
from time to time, indemnify any
director or officer made, or threatened to
be made, a party to any action, suit or
proceeding, whether criminal, civil,
administrative or investigative, by
reason of being a director or officer of
the Exchange or a predecessor
corporation or, at the Exchange’s
request, a director, officer, partner,
member, employee or agent of another
corporation or other entity; provided,
however, that the Exchange shall
indemnify any director or officer in
connection with a proceeding initiated
by such person only if such proceeding
was authorized in advance by the Board
of Directors of the Exchange. The
indemnification provided for in this
Section 7.1 shall: (i) Not be deemed
exclusive of any other rights to which
those indemnified may be entitled
under any bylaw, agreement or vote of
stockholders or disinterested directors
or otherwise, both as to action in their
official capacities and as to action in
another capacity while holding such
office; (ii) continue as to a person who
has ceased to be a director or officer;
and (iii) inure to the benefit of the heirs,
executors and administrators of an
indemnified person.
(b) Expenses incurred by any such
person in defending a civil or criminal
action, suit or proceeding by reason of
the fact that he is or was a director or
officer of the Exchange (or was serving
at the Exchange’s request as a director,
officer, partner, member, employee or
agent of another corporation or other
entity) shall be paid by the Exchange in
advance of the final disposition of such
action, suit or proceeding upon receipt
of an undertaking by or on behalf of
such director or officer to repay such
amount if it shall ultimately be
determined that he or she is not entitled
to be indemnified by the Exchange as
authorized by law. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Exchange shall not be
required to advance such expenses to a
person who is a party to an action, suit
or proceeding brought by the Exchange
and approved by a majority of the Board
of Directors of the Exchange that alleges
willful misappropriation of corporate
assets by such person, disclosure of
confidential information in violation of
such person’s fiduciary or contractual
26 For example, proposed Section 7.1 uses
‘‘officer’’ instead of ‘‘Senior Officers,’’ ‘‘Exchange’’
instead of ‘‘Corporation,’’ and ‘‘Section 7.1’’ instead
of ‘‘Section 10.6.’’
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obligations to the Exchange or any other
willful and deliberate breach in bad
faith of such person’s duty to the
Exchange or its stockholders.
(c) The foregoing provisions of this
Section 7.1 shall be deemed to be a
contract between the Exchange and each
director or officer who serves in such
capacity at any time while this bylaw is
in effect, and any repeal or modification
thereof shall not affect any rights or
obligations then existing with respect to
any state of facts then or theretofore
existing or any action, suit or
proceeding theretofore or thereafter
brought based in whole or in part upon
any such state of facts. The rights
provided to any person by this bylaw
shall be enforceable against the
Exchange by such person, who shall be
presumed to have relied upon it in
serving or continuing to serve as a
director or officer or in such other
capacity as provided above.
(d) The Board of Directors in its
discretion shall have power on behalf of
the Exchange to indemnify any person,
other than a director or officer, made or
threatened to be made a party to any
action, suit or proceeding, whether
criminal, civil, administrative or
investigative, by reason of the fact that
such person, or his or her testator or
intestate, is or was an officer, employee
or agent of the Exchange or, at the
Exchange’s request, is or was serving as
a director, officer, partner, member,
employee or agent of another
corporation or other entity.
(e) To assure indemnification under
this Section 7.1 of all directors, officers,
employees and agents who are
determined by the Exchange or
otherwise to be or to have been
‘‘fiduciaries’’ of any employee benefit
plan of the Exchange that may exist
from time to time, Section 145 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law
shall, for the purposes of this Section
7.1, be interpreted as follows: An ‘‘other
enterprise’’ shall be deemed to include
such an employee benefit plan,
including without limitation, any plan
of the Exchange that is governed by the
Act of Congress entitled ‘‘Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of
1974,’’ as amended from time to time;
the Exchange shall be deemed to have
requested a person to serve an employee
benefit plan where the performance by
such person of his duties to the
Exchange also imposes duties on, or
otherwise involves services by, such
person to the plan or participants or
beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes
assessed on a person with respect to an
employee benefit plan pursuant to such
Act of Congress shall be deemed
‘‘fines.’’
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 28, 2018 / Notices
Article IX (Certificates of Stock and
Their Transfer)
Section 9.1 (Form and Execution of
Certificates): Section 9.1 provides
requirements related to the execution of
stockholder certificates. The Exchange
proposes to amend the requirements to
provide that the certificate may be
signed by ‘‘any two authorized officers,’’
instead of listing the specific officers
authorized to execute a certificate,
which better reflects the requirements of
Section 158 of the DGCL.27 The change
would be consistent with Article VIII,
Section 1 of the NYSE Chicago
Bylaws.28
Article XI (General Provisions)
Section 11.2 (Dividends): Section 11.2
permits the Board to declare dividends.
The Exchange proposes to replace the
phrase ‘‘[s]ubject to any provisions of
any applicable statute,’’ which qualifies
the Board’s authority to issue dividends,
with ‘‘[s]ubject to any applicable law’’
so as to eliminate redundant language
and clarify that proposed Section 11.2
would be subject to any non-statutory
law, such as common law. The change
would be consistent with Article X,
Section 2 of the NYSE Chicago
Bylaws.29
Section 11.4 (Subsidiaries): Section
11.4 authorizes the Board to constitute
any officer of the Exchange to vote the
stock of any subsidiary corporation on
behalf of the Exchange. In an
administrative change, the Exchange
proposes to add a second sentence
stating that ‘‘[i]n the absence of specific
action by the Board of Directors, the
Chief Executive Officer and Secretary of
the Exchange shall have authority to
represent the Exchange and to vote, on
behalf of the Exchange, the securities of
other corporations, both domestic and
foreign, held by the Exchange.’’
The Exchange believes that permitting
the Secretary of the Exchange to act on
behalf of the Exchange pursuant to
proposed Section 4 is appropriate given
that the Secretary is frequently tasked to
execute the Exchange’s actions,
especially as it relates to corporate
governance. Under Section 11.4, the
Board may constitute any officer of the
Exchange, which includes the Secretary,
to vote the stock of any subsidiary of the
Exchange. The Board has approved the
proposed changes to the Bylaws,
including the proposed changes to
Section 11.4. By approving the proposed
changes to Section 11.4, the Board
granted the Secretary the authority
described therein. Moreover, proposed
Section 11.4 would continue to permit
the Board to revoke such voting power
or constitute another officer with such
voting power. The change would be
consistent with Article X, Section 4 of
the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.30
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes that the
proposed rule change is consistent with
Section 6(b) of the Exchange Act,31 in
general, and furthers the objectives of
Section 6(b)(1) 32 in particular, in that it
enables the Exchange to be so organized
as to have the capacity to be able to
carry out the purposes of the Exchange
Act and to comply, and to enforce
compliance by its exchange members
and persons associated with its
exchange members, with the provisions
of the Exchange Act, the rules and
regulations thereunder, and the rules of
the Exchange. The Exchange also
believes that the proposed rule change
is consistent with Section 6(b)(5) of the
Exchange Act,33 in that it is designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative
acts and practices, to promote just and
equitable principles of trade, to foster
cooperation and coordination with
persons engaged in facilitating
transactions in securities, to remove
impediments to and perfect the
mechanism of a free and open market
and a national market system and, in
general, to protect investors and the
public interest.
The Exchange believes that the
proposed amendments to harmonize
certain provisions of the Exchange
Certificate and Bylaws with similar
provisions of the governing documents
of other NYSE Group Exchanges, ICE
and ICE Holdings would contribute to
the orderly operation of the Exchange
and would enable the Exchange to be so
organized as to have the capacity to
carry out the purposes of the Exchange
Act and comply with the provisions of
the Exchange Act by its members and
persons associated with members. For
example, the proposed changes would
create greater conformity between the
Exchange’s provisions relating to
stockholders, officers, and stock
certificates and those of its affiliates,
particularly CHX and NYSE Arca. The
Exchange believes that such conformity
would streamline the NYSE Group
Exchanges’ corporate processes, create
more equivalent governance processes
among them, and also provide clarity to
the Exchange’s members, which is
beneficial to both investors and the
public interest. At the same time, the
Del. Code tit. 8, § 158.
NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 47.
29 See id., at 51.
28 See
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:19 Nov 27, 2018
Jkt 247001
id., at 51–52.
U.S.C. 78f(b).
32 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(1).
33 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
31 15
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 4703
Exchange will continue to operate as a
separate self-regulatory organization and
to have rules and membership rosters
distinct from the rules and membership
rosters of the other NYSE Group
Exchanges.
The Exchange also believes that the
greater consistency among the governing
documents of the NYSE Group
Exchanges, ICE and ICE Holdings would
promote the maintenance of a fair and
orderly market, the protection of
investors and the protection of the
public interest. Indeed, the proposed
amendments would make the corporate
requirements and administrative
processes relating to the Board, Board
committees, officers, stockholders, and
other corporate matters more similar to
those of the NYSE Group Exchanges, in
particular CHX and NYSE Arca, which
have been established as fair and
designed to protect investors and the
public interest.34
The proposed amendments to clarify
the meaning of certain provisions of the
Exchange Certificate and the Exchange
Bylaws, to better comport certain
provisions with the DGCL and to effect
non-substantive changes would
facilitate the Exchange’s continued
compliance with the Exchange
Certificate and Bylaws and applicable
law, which would further enable the
Exchange to be so organized as to have
the capacity to be able to carry out the
purposes of the Exchange Act and to
comply, and to enforce compliance by
its exchange members and persons
associated with its exchange members,
with the provisions of the Exchange Act,
the rules and regulations thereunder,
and the rules of the Exchange. Such
amendments would also remove
impediments to and perfects the
mechanism of a free and open market by
removing confusion that may result
from corporate governance provisions
that are either unclear or inconsistent
with the governing law.
The Exchange also believes that the
proposed amendments would remove
impediments to and perfect the
mechanism of a free and open market by
ensuring that persons subject to the
Exchange’s jurisdiction, regulators, and
the investing public can more easily
navigate and understand the governing
documents. The Exchange further
believes that the proposed amendments
would not be inconsistent with the
public interest and the protection of
investors because investors will not be
harmed and in fact would benefit from
34 See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4,
Exchange Act Release Nos. 83303 (May 22, 2018),
83 FR 24517 (May 29, 2018) (SR–CHX–2018–004);
and 81419 (August 17, 2017), 82 FR 40044 (August
23, 2017) (SR–NYSEArca–2017–40).
30 See
27 See
61181
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 28, 2018 / Notices
including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act.
Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
increased transparency and clarity,
thereby reducing potential confusion.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that
the proposed rule change will impose
any burden on competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Exchange Act.
The proposed rule change is not
intended to address competitive issues
but rather is concerned solely with the
corporate governance and
administration of the Exchange.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited
or received with respect to the proposed
rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
The Exchange has filed the proposed
rule change pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act 35 and Rule
19b–4(f)(6) thereunder.36 Because the
proposed rule change does not: (i)
Significantly affect the protection of
investors or the public interest; (ii)
impose any significant burden on
competition; and (iii) become operative
prior to 30 days from the date on which
it was filed, or such shorter time as the
Commission may designate, if
consistent with the protection of
investors and the public interest, the
proposed rule change has become
effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)
of the Act and Rule 19b–4(f)(6)(iii)
thereunder.
At any time within 60 days of the
filing of such proposed rule change, the
Commission summarily may
temporarily suspend such rule change if
it appears to the Commission that such
action is necessary or appropriate in the
public interest, for the protection of
investors, or otherwise in furtherance of
the purposes of the Act. If the
Commission takes such action, the
Commission shall institute proceedings
under Section 19(b)(2)(B) 37 of the Act to
determine whether the proposed rule
change should be approved or
disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to
submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing,
U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
36 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6).
37 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
16:19 Nov 27, 2018
Paper Comments
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Secretary, Securities and Exchange
Commission, 100 F Street NE,
Washington, DC 20549–1090.
All submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NYSENAT–2018–24. This
file number should be included on the
subject line if email is used. To help the
Commission process and review your
comments more efficiently, please use
only one method. The Commission will
post all comments on the Commission’s
internet website (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
submission, all subsequent
amendments, all written statements
with respect to the proposed rule
change that are filed with the
Commission, and all written
communications relating to the
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for website viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Room, 100 F Street NE,
Washington, DC 20549, on official
business days between the hours of 10
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also
will be available for inspection and
copying at the principal office of the
Exchange. All comments received will
be posted without change. Persons
submitting comments are cautioned that
we do not redact or edit personal
identifying information from comment
submissions. You should submit only
information that you wish to make
available publicly. All submissions
should refer to File Number SR–
NYSENAT–2018–24 and should be
submitted on or before December 19,
2018.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.38
Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018–25896 Filed 11–27–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
35 15
VerDate Sep<11>2014
Electronic Comments
• Use the Commission’s internet
comment form (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an email to rule-comments@
sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–
NYSENAT–2018–24 on the subject line.
38 17
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request; Multiple
Departmental Offices Information
Collection Requests
Departmental Offices, U.S.
Department of the Treasury.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Department of the
Treasury will submit the following
information collection requests to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and clearance in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the
date of publication of this notice. The
public is invited to submit comments on
these requests.
DATES: Comments should be received on
or before December 28, 2018 to be
assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding
the burden estimate, or any other aspect
of the information collection, including
suggestions for reducing the burden, to
(1) Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for
Treasury, New Executive Office
Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC
20503, or email at OIRA_Submission@
OMB.EOP.gov and (2) Treasury PRA
Clearance Officer, 1750 Pennsylvania
Ave. NW, Suite 8100, Washington, DC
20220, or email at PRA@treasury.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Copies of the submissions may be
obtained from Jennifer Quintana by
emailing PRA@treasury.gov, calling
(202) 622–0489, or viewing the entire
information collection request at
www.reginfo.gov.
SUMMARY:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Departmental Offices (DO)
1. Title: Reporting of International
Capital and Foreign Currency
Transactions and Positions
OMB Control Number: 1505–0149.
Type of Review: Extension without
change of a currently approved
collection.
Description: 31 CFR part 128
establishes general guidelines for
reporting on U.S. claims on, and
liabilities to foreigners; on transactions
in securities with foreigners; and on
monetary reserve of the U.S. It also
establishes guidelines for reporting on
the foreign currency of U.S. persons. It
includes a record keeping requirement
in section 128.5.
Form: None.
E:\FR\FM\28NON1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61177-61182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25896]
=======================================================================
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-84644; File No. SR-NYSENAT-2018-24]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE National, Inc.; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change To Amend Its
Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
November 21, 2018.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) \1\ of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (``Act'') \2\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\3\ notice is hereby given
that on November 20, 2018, NYSE National, Inc. (``Exchange'' or ``NYSE
National'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II,
and III below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The
Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 15 U.S.C. 78a.
\3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to amend its certificate of incorporation and
bylaws to (1) harmonize certain provisions thereunder with similar
provisions in the governing documents of the Exchange's national
securities exchange affiliates and parent companies; and (2) make
clarifying and updating changes. The proposed rule change is available
on the Exchange's website at www.nyse.com, at the principal office of
the Exchange, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization
included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the
proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the
proposed rule change. The text of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared
summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most
significant parts of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and the
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
(1) Generally [sic]
The Exchange proposes to the amend the Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation of the Exchange (``Exchange Certificate'')
and the Fifth Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Exchange (``Exchange
Bylaws'') to (1) harmonize certain provisions thereunder with similar
provisions in the governing documents of the Exchange's national
securities exchange affiliates \4\ and parent companies; and (2) make
clarifying and updating changes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ The Exchange has four registered national securities
exchange affiliates: NYSE Arca, Inc. (``NYSE Arca''), New York Stock
Exchange LLC (``NYSE''), NYSE American LLC (``NYSE American''), and
Chicago Stock Exchange, Inc. (``CHX'' and together with the
Exchange, NYSE Arca, NYSE American, and NYSE, the ``NYSE Group
Exchanges''). CHX has filed to change its name to NYSE Chicago, Inc.
See Exchange Act Release No. 84494 (October 26, 2018) (SR-CHX-2018-
05) (``NYSE Chicago Release'') (notice of filing and immediate
effectiveness of proposal to reflect name changes of the Exchange
and its direct parent company and to amend certain corporate
governance provisions). The rule changes set forth in the NYSE
Chicago Release will become operative upon the Second Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Chicago Stock Exchange,
Inc. (``NYSE Chicago Certificate'') becoming effective pursuant to
its filing with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange is owned by NYSE Group, Inc. (``NYSE Group''), which
in turn is indirectly wholly owned by NYSE Holdings LLC (``NYSE
Holdings''). NYSE Holdings is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Intercontinental Holdings, Inc. (``ICE Holdings''), which is in turn
wholly owned by the Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (``ICE'').\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ See Exchange Act Release No. 79902 (January 30, 2017), 82 FR
9258 (February 3, 2017) (SR-NSX-2016-16) (order approving proposed
rule change in connection with proposed acquisition of the Exchange
by NYSE Group, Inc.).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange operates as a separate self-regulatory organization
and has rules and membership rosters distinct from the rules and
membership rosters of the other NYSE Group Exchanges. At the same time,
however, the Exchange believes it is important for each of the NYSE
Group Exchanges to have a consistent approach to corporate governance
in certain matters, to simplify complexity and create greater
[[Page 61178]]
consistency among the NYSE Group Exchanges.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Because the Exchange is a Delaware corporation, most of the
proposed changes are based on the governing documents of CHX, which is
also a Delaware corporation, and NYSE Arca, which is a Delaware non-
stock corporation, as the most comparable NYSE Group Exchanges.\7\ The
proposed Exchange Certificate and Exchange Bylaws reflect the
expectation that the Exchange will continue to be operated with a
governance structure substantially similar to that of other NYSE Group
Exchanges, primarily CHX and NYSE Arca.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ The other NYSE Group Exchanges, NYSE and NYSE American, are
limited liability companies organized under New York and Delaware
limited liability company law, respectively.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The other changes described herein would become operative upon the
Exchange Certificate becoming effective pursuant to its filing with the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
The proposed amendments described below are primarily based on the
Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Chicago
Stock Exchange, Inc. (``NYSE Chicago Certificate''), the Second Amended
and Restated By-Laws of NYSE Chicago, Inc. (``NYSE Chicago
Bylaws''),\8\ and the Amended and Restated Bylaws of NYSE Arca, Inc.
(``NYSE Arca Bylaws''). In addition, the amendments to the
indemnification provisions are based on the Eighth Amended and Restated
Bylaws of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (``ICE Bylaws'') and the
Sixth Amended and Restated Bylaws of Intercontinental Exchange
Holdings, Inc. (``ICE Holdings Bylaws'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ The NYSE Chicago Certificate and NYSE Chicago Bylaws have
been filed with the SEC, and will become operative when the NYSE
Chicago Certificate becomes effective pursuant to its filing with
the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. See NYSE Chicago
Release, supra note 4, at 4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed Amendments to the Exchange Certificate
The Exchange proposes to amend the Exchange Certificate as follows.
Introductory Paragraph
In a non-substantive change, the Exchange proposes to delete the
sentence stating ``[t]he Certificate of Incorporation was restated on
June 29, 2006, December 30, 2011, and February 18, 2015.''
Article FIRST
In a non-substantive change, the Exchange proposes to replace
``NYSE NATIONAL, INC.'' with ``NYSE National, Inc.'' in Article FIRST,
to reflect that the legal name of the Exchange is not entirely in
capital letters.
Article SECOND and Certificate of Change of Registered Agent and/or
Registered Office
In a non-substantive change, the Exchange proposes to update the
address of the registered office and name of the registered agent, as
previously filed, and, because such address and office are no longer
the initial address and office, delete the word ``initial'' from the
provision. The Exchange also proposes to delete the ``Certificate of
Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office.'' \9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ See Exchange Act Release No. 82925 (March 22, 2018), 83 FR
13165 (March 27, 2018) (SR-NYSENAT-2018-04).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article FIFTH
Current paragraph (b) of Article FIFTH (Removal of Directors)
provides that any director may be removed from office by a vote of the
stockholders at any time with or without cause, except that Non-
Affiliated Directors, as defined in the Exchange Bylaws, may only be
removed for cause. The Exchange proposes to amend the definition of
``cause'' to provide that the list set forth in the provision is
inclusive. The Exchange notes that the revised provision would be
consistent with Article FIFTH(b) of the NYSE Chicago Certificate.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 14. See also
Eighth Amended and Restated Bylaws of Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.
(``Cboe BZX Bylaws''), Section 3.4(c) (providing that ``[n]o
Representative Director may be removed from office by a vote of the
stockholders at any time except for cause, which shall include, but
not limited to, (i) a breach of a Representative Director's duty of
loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) acts or
omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct
or a knowing violation of law, (iii) transactions from which a
Representative Director derived an improper personal benefit, or
(iv) a failure of a Representative Director to be free from a
statutory disqualification (as defined in Section 3(a)(39) of the
Act)'') (emphasis added; NYSE Operating Agreement, Article II,
Section 2.03(l) (providing that cause ``shall include, without
limitation, the failure of [a] Director to be free of any statutory
disqualification . . .''); and NYSE American Operating Agreement,
Article II, Section 2.03(l) (same).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article EIGHTH
In a non-substantive change, the Exchange proposes to correct a
typographical error in the title of Article EIGHTH, correcting
``Liabilitv'' with ``Liability''.
Article NINTH
In a non-substantive change, the Exchange proposes to amend Article
NINTH to replace a reference to ``Delaware'' with ``the State of
Delaware.''
Date
The Exchange proposes to update the date in the final paragraph.
Proposed Amendments to the Exchange Bylaws
The Exchange proposes to amend the Exchange Bylaws as follows.
Conforming Changes
In non-substantive changes, the Exchange proposes to delete the
cover page and table of contents of the Exchange Bylaws, and amend the
title to reflect that the proposed Exchange Bylaws are the ``Sixth
Amended and Restated Bylaws of NYSE National, Inc.''
Article III (Board of Directors)
Section 3.6 (Vacancies): Section 3.6(a)(i) provides that any
vacancy on the Board may be filled by the Chairman of the Board,
subject to the approval by a majority of the directors then in office,
and that any vacancy will be filled with a person who satisfies the
classification associated with the vacant seat.
In an administrative change, the Exchange proposes to add that that
the stockholders may also fill any vacancy, and those vacancies
resulting from removal from office by a vote of the stockholders for
cause may be filled by a vote of the stockholders at the same meeting
at which such removal occurs. Because, under Section 3.2(a), the
stockholders determine the number of directors, a new directorship may
be created. Accordingly, the Exchange proposes to add to Section
3.6(a)(i) that any newly created directorship will be filled with a
person who satisfies the classification associated with the seat.
The first two sentences of the amended paragraph would be as
follows (additions italicized):
Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, any vacancy
in the Board, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an
increase in the number of the directors, may be filled (i) by the
Chairman of the Board, subject to the approval by a majority of the
directors then in office, or (ii) by action taken by the stockholders
of the Exchange, and those vacancies resulting from removal from office
by a vote of the stockholders for cause may be filled by a vote of the
stockholders at the same meeting at which such removal occurs. Any
vacancy or newly-created directorship will be filled with a person who
satisfies the classification (e.g., public) associated with the vacant
seat.
[[Page 61179]]
The change would be consistent with clause (ii) of Article II,
Section 5 of the NYSE Chicago Bylaws, which was amended at the time of
its acquisition by ICE.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ See Exchange Act Release No. 83635 (July 13, 2018), 83 FR
34182 (July 19, 2018) (SR-CHX-2018-004), and Partial Amendment No. 2
to SR-CHX-2018-004 (June 11, 2018).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 3.7 (Removal): Section 3.7 provides that any director may
be removed from office by a vote of the stockholders at any time with
or without cause, except that non-affiliated directors may only be
removed for cause. The Exchange proposes to amend the definition of
``cause'' to provide that the list set forth in the provision is
inclusive, by replacing ``mean only'' with ``include.'' As a result of
the proposed amendment, the definition of ``cause'' would be
substantially similar to the definition in Article FIFTH(b) of the NYSE
Chicago Certificate.
In a non-substantive change, the Exchange proposes to amend clause
(iii) to replace a reference to ``Delaware'' with ``the State of
Delaware.''
Section 3.9 (Regular Meetings): Section 3.9 specifies that regular
meetings may be held, with or without notice, at such time or place as
the Board may specify in a resolution. The Exchange proposes an
administrative change to eliminate the requirement for a Board
resolution. The change would be consistent with the governing documents
of the other NYSE Group Exchanges, which do not require a board
resolution in order to call a meeting.\12\
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\12\ See NYSE Arca Bylaws, Article III, Section 3.05; NYSE
Chicago Bylaws, Article II, Section 8; NYSE Operating Agreement,
Article II, Section 2.03(c); and NYSE American Operating Agreement,
Article II, Section 2.03(c).
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Section 3.10 (Special Meetings): Paragraph (a) of Section 3.10
permits special meetings of the Board to be called on two days' notice
to each Director by the Chairman or the Chief Executive Officer, or by
the Secretary upon the request of any three Directors. In an
administrative change, The Exchange proposes to reduce the minimum
notice requirement from two days to one day, consistent with Article
II, Section 9(a) of the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.\13\ The Exchange believes
that reducing the minimum notice requirement to one day is reasonable
as it would facilitate the Board meeting quickly.
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\13\ See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 24. One day of
notice would be consistent with the bylaws of other national
securities exchanges. See NYSE Operating Agreement, Article II,
Section 2.03(c) (requiring 12 or 24 hours of notice, with the
exception of mailed notice); NYSE American Operating Agreement,
Article II, Section 2.03(c) (requiring 12 or 24 hours of notice,
with the exception of mailed notice); Cboe BZX Bylaws, Section 3.11
(requiring 24 hours of notice); Tenth Amended and Restated Bylaws of
Cboe Exchange, Inc. (``Cboe Exchange Bylaws''), Section 3.11
(requiring 24 hours of notice); and Bylaws of Nasdaq, Inc., Article
IV, Section 4.12 (requiring that notice be sent no later than ``the
day before the day'' of the meeting, with the exception of mailed
notice).
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Paragraph (b) of Section 3.10 requires the person calling a special
meeting to fix the time and place at which the meeting will be held,
and deems notice to be given five business days after deposit in the
United States mail. In an administrative change, the Exchange proposes
to:
Eliminate the requirement that the person calling the
special meeting fix the time and place of the meeting, as Article III,
Section 3.8 already addresses the place and mode of Board meetings;
state that notice may be given by written, electronic or
telephonic means; and
reduce the period for deemed notice of mailed notice from
five to two business days.
The changes would be consistent with Article II, Section 9(b) of
the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.
Sections 3.11 (Voting; Quorum and Action by the Board) and 3.14
(Action in Lieu of Meeting): Section 3.11 provides that the presence of
a majority of the directors then in office shall constitute a quorum
for Board meetings. Section 3.14 provides that, unless otherwise
restricted by statute, the Exchange Certificate or the Exchange By-
Laws, action may be taken without a meeting if certain procedural
requirements are met. The Exchange proposes to make the following
administrative changes to the provisions:
In Section 3.11, the Exchange proposes to clarify that the
proposed quorum requirement would apply ``[e]xcept as otherwise
required by law'' \14\ and to change a reference to ``statute'' with
``law.''
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\14\ See, e.g. DCGL Section 141(b).
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In Section 3.14, the Exchange proposes to replace
``restricted by statute'' with ``provided by law.''
The change to add an exception to Section 3.11 would allow the
written notice to be consistent with both applicable law and the
Exchange Bylaws, should applicable law set forth specific requirements
that differ from the Bylaw provision. The Exchange proposes to change
``statute'' to ``law,'' as the latter is a broader term, which includes
non-statutory law, such as common law. The changes would be consistent
with the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.\15\
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\15\ See NYSE Chicago Bylaws, Article II, Sections 10 and 13;
and NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 26-27.
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Article IV (Stockholders)
Sections 4.1 (Annual Meeting), 4.2 (Special Meetings), and 4.4
(Quorum and Vote Required for Action): Among other provisions, Sections
4.1 and 4.2 set forth the notice requirements for annual and special
meetings of stockholders. Section 4.4 sets forth the quorum and voting
requirements. For the reasons set forth above, the Exchange proposes to
make the following administrative changes to the provisions:
The Exchange proposes to add ``[e]xcept as otherwise
provided by law,'' before the sentences in Sections 4.1 and 4.2 that
set forth the written notice requirements.\16\
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\16\ See Del. Code tit. 8, Sec. 222.
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In Section 4.4, the Exchange proposes to replace
``statute'' with ``law'' in paragraph (a) and ``Statute'' with
``General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware'' in paragraph (b).
The changes would be consistent with the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.\17\
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\17\ See NYSE Chicago Bylaws, Article III, Sections 1, 2, and
5(b); and NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 29-31.
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Section 4.3 (List of Stockholders): Section 4.3 provides that the
Secretary or a designated person shall have charge of the stock ledger
of the Exchange and, before every stockholder meeting, shall prepare a
list of stockholders entitled to vote. In an administrative change, the
Exchange proposes to amend the provision such that, as permitted by
Section 219(a) of the DGCL, the ``Exchange'' keeps the ledger and
prepares the list of stockholders.\18\ The change would be consistent
with Article III, Section 4 of the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.\19\
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\18\ Del. Code tit. 8, Sec. 219(a).
\19\ See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 30.
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Section 4.6 (Action in Lieu of Meeting): Section 4.6 permits
stockholder action to be taken by written consent and provides certain
requirements related to such written consent. In an administrative
change, the Exchange proposes to amend the provisions to permit
stockholder action to be taken by written consent and to the extent
provided by the DGCL, but only if the matter to be voted upon were
approved by the Board and the Board had directed that the matter be
brought before the stockholders. The amended provision would be
substantially similar
[[Page 61180]]
to Article III, Section 7 of the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.\20\
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\20\ See id., at 31-32.
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Article V (Committees)
Section 5.2 (Appointment; Vacancies; and Removal): Section 5.2(b)
provides that any vacancy in a Board committee shall be filled by the
Chief Executive Officer with the approval of the Board. Consistent with
the DGCL and Article IV, Section 2(b) of the NYSE Chicago Bylaws,\21\
the Exchange proposes to provide that only the Board can fill a vacancy
in a Board committee.
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\21\ See Del. Code tit. 8, Sec. 141(c)(1).
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Section 5.6 (Regulatory Oversight Committee): Section 5.6
establishes the powers and responsibilities of the Regulatory Oversight
Committee, and is substantially the same as the related provisions in
the governing documents of the other NYSE Group Exchanges. \22\ Among
other things, the provision states that ``[t]he Board may, on
affirmative vote of a majority of directors, at any time remove a
member of the ROC for cause.'' The Exchange proposes to add language
clarifying that the majority affirmative vote requirement is based on
the ``directors then in office,'' as opposed to total number of seats
on the Board. The change would be consistent with Article IV, Section 6
of the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.\23\
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\22\ See NYSE Arca Rule 3.3; NYSE Operating Agreement, Article
II, Section 2.03(h)(ii); NYSE American Operating Agreement, Article
II, Section 2.03(h)(ii); NYSE Chicago Bylaws, Article IV, Section 6.
\23\ See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 35. The Exchange
understands that NYSE, NYSE American, and NYSE Arca propose to file
similar changes to their respective ROC provisions.
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Article VII (Indemnification)
Current Article VII includes provisions related to indemnification
by the Exchange. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of ICE, the Exchange
believes it appropriate to harmonize the Exchange's indemnification
provisions with those of ICE and the Exchange's intermediate holding
company, ICE Holdings.\24\ The same change was made to Article VI of
the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.\25\
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\24\ See ICE Bylaws, Article X, Section 10.6, and ICE Holdings
Bylaws, Article X, Section 10.6.
\25\ See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 41. The Exchange
understands that NYSE, NYSE American, and NYSE Arca propose to file
similar changes to their respective indemnification provisions.
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Accordingly, the Exchange proposes to delete the text of Section
7.1 (Indemnification) in its entirety and replace it with proposed text
that is substantially similar to the CHX, ICE and ICE Holdings
provisions, with the exception of changes to be consistent with the
Exchange Bylaws' terminology.\26\ The proposed text follows:
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\26\ For example, proposed Section 7.1 uses ``officer'' instead
of ``Senior Officers,'' ``Exchange'' instead of ``Corporation,'' and
``Section 7.1'' instead of ``Section 10.6.''
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(a) The Exchange shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, as
those laws may be amended and supplemented from time to time, indemnify
any director or officer made, or threatened to be made, a party to any
action, suit or proceeding, whether criminal, civil, administrative or
investigative, by reason of being a director or officer of the Exchange
or a predecessor corporation or, at the Exchange's request, a director,
officer, partner, member, employee or agent of another corporation or
other entity; provided, however, that the Exchange shall indemnify any
director or officer in connection with a proceeding initiated by such
person only if such proceeding was authorized in advance by the Board
of Directors of the Exchange. The indemnification provided for in this
Section 7.1 shall: (i) Not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to
which those indemnified may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement or
vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as
to action in their official capacities and as to action in another
capacity while holding such office; (ii) continue as to a person who
has ceased to be a director or officer; and (iii) inure to the benefit
of the heirs, executors and administrators of an indemnified person.
(b) Expenses incurred by any such person in defending a civil or
criminal action, suit or proceeding by reason of the fact that he is or
was a director or officer of the Exchange (or was serving at the
Exchange's request as a director, officer, partner, member, employee or
agent of another corporation or other entity) shall be paid by the
Exchange in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or
proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such
director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be
determined that he or she is not entitled to be indemnified by the
Exchange as authorized by law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Exchange shall not be required to advance such expenses to a person who
is a party to an action, suit or proceeding brought by the Exchange and
approved by a majority of the Board of Directors of the Exchange that
alleges willful misappropriation of corporate assets by such person,
disclosure of confidential information in violation of such person's
fiduciary or contractual obligations to the Exchange or any other
willful and deliberate breach in bad faith of such person's duty to the
Exchange or its stockholders.
(c) The foregoing provisions of this Section 7.1 shall be deemed to
be a contract between the Exchange and each director or officer who
serves in such capacity at any time while this bylaw is in effect, and
any repeal or modification thereof shall not affect any rights or
obligations then existing with respect to any state of facts then or
theretofore existing or any action, suit or proceeding theretofore or
thereafter brought based in whole or in part upon any such state of
facts. The rights provided to any person by this bylaw shall be
enforceable against the Exchange by such person, who shall be presumed
to have relied upon it in serving or continuing to serve as a director
or officer or in such other capacity as provided above.
(d) The Board of Directors in its discretion shall have power on
behalf of the Exchange to indemnify any person, other than a director
or officer, made or threatened to be made a party to any action, suit
or proceeding, whether criminal, civil, administrative or
investigative, by reason of the fact that such person, or his or her
testator or intestate, is or was an officer, employee or agent of the
Exchange or, at the Exchange's request, is or was serving as a
director, officer, partner, member, employee or agent of another
corporation or other entity.
(e) To assure indemnification under this Section 7.1 of all
directors, officers, employees and agents who are determined by the
Exchange or otherwise to be or to have been ``fiduciaries'' of any
employee benefit plan of the Exchange that may exist from time to time,
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law shall, for the
purposes of this Section 7.1, be interpreted as follows: An ``other
enterprise'' shall be deemed to include such an employee benefit plan,
including without limitation, any plan of the Exchange that is governed
by the Act of Congress entitled ``Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974,'' as amended from time to time; the Exchange shall be
deemed to have requested a person to serve an employee benefit plan
where the performance by such person of his duties to the Exchange also
imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, such person to
the plan or participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes
assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant
to such Act of Congress shall be deemed ``fines.''
[[Page 61181]]
Article IX (Certificates of Stock and Their Transfer)
Section 9.1 (Form and Execution of Certificates): Section 9.1
provides requirements related to the execution of stockholder
certificates. The Exchange proposes to amend the requirements to
provide that the certificate may be signed by ``any two authorized
officers,'' instead of listing the specific officers authorized to
execute a certificate, which better reflects the requirements of
Section 158 of the DGCL.\27\ The change would be consistent with
Article VIII, Section 1 of the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.\28\
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\27\ See Del. Code tit. 8, Sec. 158.
\28\ See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, at 47.
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Article XI (General Provisions)
Section 11.2 (Dividends): Section 11.2 permits the Board to declare
dividends. The Exchange proposes to replace the phrase ``[s]ubject to
any provisions of any applicable statute,'' which qualifies the Board's
authority to issue dividends, with ``[s]ubject to any applicable law''
so as to eliminate redundant language and clarify that proposed Section
11.2 would be subject to any non-statutory law, such as common law. The
change would be consistent with Article X, Section 2 of the NYSE
Chicago Bylaws.\29\
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\29\ See id., at 51.
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Section 11.4 (Subsidiaries): Section 11.4 authorizes the Board to
constitute any officer of the Exchange to vote the stock of any
subsidiary corporation on behalf of the Exchange. In an administrative
change, the Exchange proposes to add a second sentence stating that
``[i]n the absence of specific action by the Board of Directors, the
Chief Executive Officer and Secretary of the Exchange shall have
authority to represent the Exchange and to vote, on behalf of the
Exchange, the securities of other corporations, both domestic and
foreign, held by the Exchange.''
The Exchange believes that permitting the Secretary of the Exchange
to act on behalf of the Exchange pursuant to proposed Section 4 is
appropriate given that the Secretary is frequently tasked to execute
the Exchange's actions, especially as it relates to corporate
governance. Under Section 11.4, the Board may constitute any officer of
the Exchange, which includes the Secretary, to vote the stock of any
subsidiary of the Exchange. The Board has approved the proposed changes
to the Bylaws, including the proposed changes to Section 11.4. By
approving the proposed changes to Section 11.4, the Board granted the
Secretary the authority described therein. Moreover, proposed Section
11.4 would continue to permit the Board to revoke such voting power or
constitute another officer with such voting power. The change would be
consistent with Article X, Section 4 of the NYSE Chicago Bylaws.\30\
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\30\ See id., at 51-52.
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2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent
with Section 6(b) of the Exchange Act,\31\ in general, and furthers the
objectives of Section 6(b)(1) \32\ in particular, in that it enables
the Exchange to be so organized as to have the capacity to be able to
carry out the purposes of the Exchange Act and to comply, and to
enforce compliance by its exchange members and persons associated with
its exchange members, with the provisions of the Exchange Act, the
rules and regulations thereunder, and the rules of the Exchange. The
Exchange also believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with
Section 6(b)(5) of the Exchange Act,\33\ in that it is designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just
and equitable principles of trade, to foster cooperation and
coordination with persons engaged in facilitating transactions in
securities, to remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a
free and open market and a national market system and, in general, to
protect investors and the public interest.
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\31\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
\32\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(1).
\33\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange believes that the proposed amendments to harmonize
certain provisions of the Exchange Certificate and Bylaws with similar
provisions of the governing documents of other NYSE Group Exchanges,
ICE and ICE Holdings would contribute to the orderly operation of the
Exchange and would enable the Exchange to be so organized as to have
the capacity to carry out the purposes of the Exchange Act and comply
with the provisions of the Exchange Act by its members and persons
associated with members. For example, the proposed changes would create
greater conformity between the Exchange's provisions relating to
stockholders, officers, and stock certificates and those of its
affiliates, particularly CHX and NYSE Arca. The Exchange believes that
such conformity would streamline the NYSE Group Exchanges' corporate
processes, create more equivalent governance processes among them, and
also provide clarity to the Exchange's members, which is beneficial to
both investors and the public interest. At the same time, the Exchange
will continue to operate as a separate self-regulatory organization and
to have rules and membership rosters distinct from the rules and
membership rosters of the other NYSE Group Exchanges.
The Exchange also believes that the greater consistency among the
governing documents of the NYSE Group Exchanges, ICE and ICE Holdings
would promote the maintenance of a fair and orderly market, the
protection of investors and the protection of the public interest.
Indeed, the proposed amendments would make the corporate requirements
and administrative processes relating to the Board, Board committees,
officers, stockholders, and other corporate matters more similar to
those of the NYSE Group Exchanges, in particular CHX and NYSE Arca,
which have been established as fair and designed to protect investors
and the public interest.\34\
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\34\ See NYSE Chicago Release, supra note 4, Exchange Act
Release Nos. 83303 (May 22, 2018), 83 FR 24517 (May 29, 2018) (SR-
CHX-2018-004); and 81419 (August 17, 2017), 82 FR 40044 (August 23,
2017) (SR-NYSEArca-2017-40).
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The proposed amendments to clarify the meaning of certain
provisions of the Exchange Certificate and the Exchange Bylaws, to
better comport certain provisions with the DGCL and to effect non-
substantive changes would facilitate the Exchange's continued
compliance with the Exchange Certificate and Bylaws and applicable law,
which would further enable the Exchange to be so organized as to have
the capacity to be able to carry out the purposes of the Exchange Act
and to comply, and to enforce compliance by its exchange members and
persons associated with its exchange members, with the provisions of
the Exchange Act, the rules and regulations thereunder, and the rules
of the Exchange. Such amendments would also remove impediments to and
perfects the mechanism of a free and open market by removing confusion
that may result from corporate governance provisions that are either
unclear or inconsistent with the governing law.
The Exchange also believes that the proposed amendments would
remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a free and open
market by ensuring that persons subject to the Exchange's jurisdiction,
regulators, and the investing public can more easily navigate and
understand the governing documents. The Exchange further believes that
the proposed amendments would not be inconsistent with the public
interest and the protection of investors because investors will not be
harmed and in fact would benefit from
[[Page 61182]]
increased transparency and clarity, thereby reducing potential
confusion.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate
in furtherance of the purposes of the Exchange Act. The proposed rule
change is not intended to address competitive issues but rather is
concerned solely with the corporate governance and administration of
the Exchange.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the
proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
The Exchange has filed the proposed rule change pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act \35\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(6) thereunder.\36\
Because the proposed rule change does not: (i) Significantly affect the
protection of investors or the public interest; (ii) impose any
significant burden on competition; and (iii) become operative prior to
30 days from the date on which it was filed, or such shorter time as
the Commission may designate, if consistent with the protection of
investors and the public interest, the proposed rule change has become
effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act and Rule 19b-
4(f)(6)(iii) thereunder.
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\35\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
\36\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
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At any time within 60 days of the filing of such proposed rule
change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission
takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings under
Section 19(b)(2)(B) \37\ of the Act to determine whether the proposed
rule change should be approved or disapproved.
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\37\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Electronic Comments
Use the Commission's internet comment form (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
Send an email to [email protected]. Please include
File Number SR-NYSENAT-2018-24 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-1090.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSENAT-2018-24. This
file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To
help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently,
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on
the Commission's internet website (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml).
Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written
statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with
the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed
rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those
that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions
of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for website viewing and printing in
the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC
20549, on official business days between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3
p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available for inspection and
copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All comments received
will be posted without change. Persons submitting comments are
cautioned that we do not redact or edit personal identifying
information from comment submissions. You should submit only
information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions
should refer to File Number SR-NYSENAT-2018-24 and should be submitted
on or before December 19, 2018.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\38\
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\38\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-25896 Filed 11-27-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P