Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935

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The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 was a New Deal-era U.S. federal law that restructured and regulated electric and gas utility holding companies to curb monopolistic practices and protect consumers and investors.


Statements (46)
Predicate Object
instanceOf New Deal legislation
United States federal statute
addressesProblem concentration of control over utilities in a few large holding companies
lack of transparency in utility holding company finances
pyramiding of utility holding company securities
aimsTo eliminate unnecessary subsidiary companies
reduce financial abuses in utility holding companies
alsoKnownAs Wheeler-Rayburn Act
appliesToSector electric utilities
gas utilities
authorizes SEC to limit operations of holding companies to a single integrated public-utility system
SEC to order simplification of holding company structures
codifiedIn Title 15 of the United States Code
componentOf U.S. securities and utilities regulation framework
country United States
enactedBy 74th United States Congress
field energy law
securities regulation
grantsPowerTo Securities and Exchange Commission
hasEffect breakup of large interstate utility holding company systems
increased federal oversight of utilities
simplification of corporate structures in the utility industry
influencedBy Great Depression
public concern over utility monopolies
jurisdiction federal government of the United States
legacy established long-term federal standards for utility holding company regulation
opposedBy many large utility holding companies
partOf New Deal
purpose to curb monopolistic practices in the utility industry
to protect consumers
to protect investors
to simplify complex utility holding company structures
regulates public utility holding companies
relatedTo Federal Power Act
Securities Act of 1933
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
repealedBy Energy Policy Act of 2005
repealEffectiveDate 2005-02-08
requires registration of utility holding companies with the Securities and Exchange Commission
shortName PUHCA
signedBy Franklin D. Roosevelt
signingDate 1935-08-26
status repealed
subjectOf Supreme Court litigation
upheldBy United States Supreme Court
yearEnacted 1935

Referenced by (9)

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