The Sarbanes-Oxley Act legislation requires companies to report on the effectiveness of their internal controls. The SEC administers the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and defines internal controls as follows:

Why would Congress believe that internal controls are such an important area to monitor and report on?

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"A process designed by or under the supervision of, the registrant's principal executive and principal financial officers... to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles."