Abstract
Does congressional attention influence how much corporations discuss sustainability? This paper evaluates whether congressional hearings on sustainability-related issues are linked to increases in corresponding corporate risk disclosures. Legislative scrutiny can signal evolving regulatory expectations or public concern, potentially prompting firms to adjust the way they frame risk. However, the analysis finds that this relationship is inconsistent across topics and generally weak. These findings offer a perspective on the limits of congressional oversight as a tool for shaping corporate sustainability behavior, an issue of growing relevance in debates over transparency and governance.
