The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission voted Wednesday to propose rule changes that would strengthen disclosure requirements relating to nomination of directors and shareholder communications with directors.

The proposals follow the recommendations made by the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance to the commission in its July 15 staff report on the issue. These proposals represent the first step in the implementation of the recommendations in the staff report. The SEC anticipates considering further rule proposals later this fall regarding enhanced shareholder access to companies’ proxy statements and forms of proxy for nomination of directors.

Today’s proposals call for additional information regarding a company’s process of nominating directors, including: whether a company has a separate nominating committee; whether members of the nominating committee satisfy independence requirements; and whether a company has rejected candidates put forward by large long-term institutional shareholders or groups of shareholders.

Today’s proposals also would call for important new information regarding shareholder communications with directors, such as whether a company has a process for communications by shareholders to directors.

These proposals would apply to proxy statements of registered investment companies in the same way that they apply to other companies.

“These rules are an important first step in improving the proxy process as it relates to the nomination and election of directors,” said SEC chairman William Donaldson.