The North American Securities Administrators Association announced its legislative priorities for the year ahead.

NASAA President and North Dakota Securities Commissioner Karen Tyler said its’ 11-point agenda supports the efforts of NASAA members to advance investor protection and promote an efficient and effective regulatory environment necessary to maintain investor confidence in the capital markets.

“NASAA’s legislative agenda reflects our venerable mission of investor protection and our long-standing role in assisting members of Congress in their efforts to ensure that America’s investors prosper in a regulatory environment that provides the strongest investor protections,” Tyler said.

Tyler said the priorities in NASAA’s 2008 agenda fall into five broad categories: preserving the authority of state regulators; strengthening the mechanisms currently in place that provide redress to investors for wrongdoing by industry participants; maintaining federal laws designed to ensure corporate accountability and shareholder confidence; promoting sound and effective regulatory initiatives; and, improving the scope and breadth of investor education efforts.

“Collectively, the priorities that frame our legislative agenda reflect NASAA’s belief that every investor deserves protection,” said Tyler.