Enrico is a CPA for a large company. Recently, he noticed that the company's accounting records significantly overstated the amount of inventory on hand. This led to an overstatement of the assets the company holds. Initially, he brought it to the attention of his supervisor, but when nothing was done to correct the mistake in a timely manner, he decided the best course of action was to report it to the appropriate government official. Although his actions took him outside the company, Enrico was counting on current law, under the ____________, to protect him against company retaliation.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is a federal law of the United States that has generated a lot of controversy, since this Law is in response to the financial scandals of some large corporations, including cases that affect Enron, Tyco International, WorldCom and Peregrine Systems. These scandals brought down public confidence in accounting and auditing systems.

The Law takes the name of Senator Paul Sarbanes (Democrat) and Congressman Michael G. Oxley (Republican), and was approved by a large majority, both in Congress and the Senate. The legislation covers and sets new standards for the board of directors and management and accounting mechanisms of all publicly traded companies in the United States. It introduces criminal responsibilities for the board of directors and establishes some requirements on the part of the SEC (Securities and Exchanges Commission), that is, the regulatory commission of the United States stock market.