Sarbanes-Oxley
The Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002, better known as Sarbanes-Oxley or Sox, is a U.S. law which created the Federal Accounting Supervision Board and introduced criminal liability for executives who knowingly file false financial reports. It followed a series of corporate and accounting scandals at Enron, Tyco International and other firms. It covers auditor independence, corporate governance and financial disclosure. Its Congressional sponsors were Senator Paul Sarbanes and U.S. Representative Michael Oxley.
See also: http://www.sarbanes-oxley.com, http://www.fasb.org/home, Accruals Accounting