AB870: Bill Text

AB870,8,19 204.201 Corporate purposes. (1) General public benefit purpose. A benefit corporation shall have a purpose of creating general public benefit. This purpose is in addition to its purpose under s. 180.0301 and any specific purpose set forth in its articles under sub. (2).

AB870,8,24 (2) Optional specific public benefit purpose. The articles of a benefit corporation may identify one or more specific public benefits that it is the purpose of the benefit corporation to create in addition to its purposes under s. 180.0301 and sub. (1). The identification of a specific public benefit under this subsection does not limit the obligation of a benefit corporation to create general public benefit.

AB870,9,3 (3) Effect of purposes. The creation of general public benefit and specific public benefit as provided in subs. (1) and (2) shall be considered to be in the best interests of the benefit corporation.

AB870,9,6 (4) Amendment. A benefit corporation may amend its articles to add, amend, or delete the identification of a specific public benefit that it is the purpose of the benefit corporation to create.

AB870,9,9 (5) Service corporations. A service corporation that is a benefit corporation is not limited by ss. 180.1903 and 180.1905 in its authority to create general public benefit or a specific public benefit.

AB870,9,10 SUBCHAPTER III

AB870,9,11 ACCOUNTABILITY

AB870,9,17 204.301 Standard of conduct for directors. (1) Consideration of interests. (a) Notwithstanding ss. 180.0302 (15) and 180.0827, in discharging the duties of their respective positions, the board of directors, committees of the board, and individual directors of a benefit corporation, in considering the best interests of the benefit corporation, shall consider the effects of any action or inaction on all of the following:

AB870,9,18 1. The shareholders of the benefit corporation.

AB870,9,20 2. The employees and workforce of the benefit corporation and its subsidiaries and suppliers.

AB870,9,22 3. The interests of customers as beneficiaries of the general public benefit or specific public benefit purposes of the benefit corporation.

AB870,9,25 4. Community and societal factors, including those of any community in which offices or facilities of the benefit corporation or its subsidiaries or suppliers are located.

AB870,10,1 5. The local and global environment.

AB870,10,5 6. The short-term and long-term interests of the benefit corporation, including benefits that may accrue to the benefit corporation from its long-term plans and the possibility that these interests may be best served by the continued corporate independence of the benefit corporation.

AB870,10,7 7. The ability of the benefit corporation to accomplish its general public benefit purpose and any specific public benefit purpose.

AB870,10,11 (b) Notwithstanding ss. 180.0302 (15) and 180.0827, in discharging the duties of their respective positions, the board of directors, committees of the board, and individual directors of a benefit corporation, in considering the best interests of the benefit corporation, may consider any of the following:

AB870,10,13 1. The resources, intent, and conduct of any person seeking to acquire control of the corporation.

AB870,10,15 2. Any other pertinent factors or the interests of any other group that is deemed appropriate.

AB870,10,20 (c) Under pars. (a) and (b), the board of directors, committees of the board, and individual directors of a benefit corporation are not required to give priority to the interests of any particular person or group referred to in pars. (a) or (b) over the interests of any other person or group unless the benefit corporation has stated in its articles its intention to give such priority.

AB870,10,24 (2) Coordination with other provisions of law. The consideration of interests and factors in the manner required by sub. (1) does not constitute a violation of s. 180.0801 or any other provision of ch. 180 and is in addition to the ability of directors to consider interests and factors as provided in s. 180.0827.

AB870,11,2 (3) Exoneration from personal liability. A director of a benefit corporation is not personally liable, as such, for monetary damages for any of the following:

AB870,11,4 (a) Any action taken as a director if the director performed the duties of his or her office in compliance with this section and the provisions of ch. 180.

AB870,11,6 (b) Failure of the benefit corporation to pursue or create general public benefit or specific public benefit.

AB870,11,9 (4) Limitation on standing. A director does not have a duty to a person that is a beneficiary of the general public benefit purpose or a specific public benefit purpose of a benefit corporation arising from the status of the person as a beneficiary.

AB870,11,14 204.302 Benefit director. (1) General rule. The board of directors of a benefit corporation shall include one director who shall be designated the "benefit director" and shall have, in addition to all of the powers, duties, rights, and immunities of the other directors of the benefit corporation, the powers, duties, rights, and immunities provided in this section.

AB870,11,19 (2) Election, removal, and qualifications. The benefit director shall be elected, and may be removed, in the manner provided by subch. VIII of ch. 180. The benefit director may serve as the benefit officer at the same time as serving as the benefit director. The articles or bylaws of a benefit corporation may prescribe additional qualifications of the benefit director not inconsistent with this subsection.

AB870,12,3 (3) Annual compliance statement. The benefit director shall annually prepare a statement as to whether, in the opinion of the benefit director, the benefit corporation acted in accordance with its general public benefit purpose and any specific public benefit purpose in all material respects during the period covered by the report and whether the directors and officers complied with ss. 204.301 (1) and 204.303 (1), respectively. This statement shall annually be presented to the board of directors except that, if the benefit corporation has elected under s. 180.1821 not to have a board of directors, then the statement shall annually be presented to the shareholders who perform the duties of a board of directors.

AB870,12,6 (4) Status of actions. The acts of an individual in the capacity of a benefit director shall constitute for all purposes acts of that individual in the capacity of a director of the benefit corporation.

AB870,12,11 (5) Alternative governance arrangements. If a benefit corporation has elected under s. 180.1821 not to have a board of directors, then the bylaws of the benefit corporation must provide that the shareholders who perform the duties of a board of directors shall include a person with the powers, duties, rights, and immunities of a benefit director.

AB870,12,16 (6) Exoneration from personal liability. Notwithstanding s. 180.0828 and any provision of a benefit corporation's bylaws, a benefit director shall not be personally liable for any act or omission in the capacity of a benefit director unless the act or omission constitutes self-dealing, willful misconduct, or a knowing violation of law.

AB870,12,22 204.303 Standard of conduct for officers. (1) General rule. Each officer of a benefit corporation shall consider the interests and factors described in s. 204.301 (1) in the manner provided in that subsection when the officer has discretion to act with respect to a matter and it reasonably appears to the officer that the matter may have a material effect on the creation of general or specific public benefit by the benefit corporation or on any of the interests or factors referred to in s. 204.301 (1).

AB870,12,25 (2) Coordination with other provisions of law. The consideration of interests and factors in the manner described in sub. (1) shall not constitute a violation of s. 180.0841 or any other provision of ch. 180.

AB870,13,4 (3) Exoneration from personal liability. An officer of a benefit corporation is not personally liable, as such, for monetary damages for any action taken as an officer if the officer performed the duties of the position in compliance with this section and the provisions of ch. 180.

AB870,13,6 204.304 Benefit officer. (1) Designation. A benefit corporation may have an officer designated the "benefit officer."

AB870,13,11 (2) Functions. A benefit officer shall have the powers and duties, as provided in the bylaws and as determined by the board of directors, relating to the benefit corporation's purpose of creating general public benefit or specific public benefit. If a benefit corporation has a benefit officer, the duties of the benefit officer shall include preparing the benefit report required by s. 204.401.

AB870,13,12 SUBCHAPTER IV

AB870,13,13 TRANSPARENCY

AB870,13,15 204.401 Annual benefit report. A benefit corporation shall prepare an annual benefit report including all of the following:

AB870,13,16 (1) A narrative description of all of the following:

AB870,13,18 (a) The ways in which the benefit corporation pursued general public benefit during the year and the extent to which general public benefit was created.

AB870,13,21 (b) The ways in which the benefit corporation pursued any specific public benefit that the articles state it is the purpose of the benefit corporation to create and the extent to which that specific public benefit was created.

AB870,13,23 (c) Any circumstances that have hindered the creation by the benefit corporation of general public benefit or specific public benefit.

AB870,13,25 (2) An assessment of the social and environmental performance of the benefit corporation.

AB870,6 Section 6. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication, except as follows:

AB870,14,4 (1) The treatment of sections 183.0103 (1) and 183.0202 (2) and (7) and subchapter XIV of chapter 183 of the statutes takes effect on January 1, 2015.

AB870,14,5 (End)