[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO ROBERT J. JACKSON, JR.

  Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I rise to express my appreciation for the 
work of Securities and Exchange Commission: Robert J. Jackson, Jr. 
Commissioner Jackson stepped down earlier this month from the SEC, 
having served with distinction since December 2017. He returns to 
teaching, having made many valuable contributions to policy debates at 
the SEC and beyond.
  Mr. Jackson is no stranger to public service. Prior to his work at 
the SEC, he served in the Treasury Department as the Nation emerged 
from the financial crisis. Mr. Jackson has led by example, working 
diligently to ensure the SEC fulfills its three-part mission, 
particularly the protection of investors in an increasingly complex 
marketplace. As an outspoken voice on behalf of investors, Mr. Jackson 
stressed the importance of clear and sensible rules that put investors 
first, combined with a pragmatic understanding of how markets work.
  Mr. Jackson brought a law professor's analytical approach to his 
responsibilities as a Commissioner. His careful and thoughtful work 
digging through data, developing original research, and presenting it 
in a clear and insightful manner provided the SEC and other 
policymakers with critical information and a valuable perspective with 
which to consider some of the most difficult questions in securities 
laws.
  Over the years, Commissioner Jackson has been a leader on the issue 
of corporate political spending disclosure. He has helped to focus the 
conversation on how to think about reasonable and material disclosure 
as our political system has become awash in dark money. Similarly, Mr. 
Jackson's study of trends in stock buybacks and the potential for abuse 
by corporate executives raised many issues that merit additional 
consideration by regulators and lawmakers.
  I would like to lead my colleagues in wishing Mr. Jackson the best of 
luck as he returns to academia. I expect that he will continue his 
insightful research and scholarship to benefit investors and make 
markets more efficient. The SEC benefited from Commissioner Jackson's 
tenure, and we know his students will benefit, too.

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