SEC Head Nominee Would Back Options Expensing   SEC Head Nominee
Would Back Options Expensing   Aug. 1, 2005--As the Senate
prepares to vote on the approval of Christopher Cox as the new
chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission, small business
owners are preparing to deal with the likely possibility that
they will have to report stock options as a formal expense. In a
hearing with a Senate committee weighing his nomination, Cox
said he would make sure "that the rule is implemented as the
markets expect."  While technically the SEC has little
jurisdiction over private companies, industry insiders believe
that the Financial Accounting Standards Board will follow the
example set by the SEC and begin mandating options expensing.
"It's fairly clear to see that this standard isn't going to go
away," said Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture
Capital Association. "So moving forward, what we're looking for
from the SEC is an example of how these expensing standards can
be implemented in a way that is