Typically, companies looking to exclude certain proposals can request so-called no-action letters from the SEC promising that the SEC would not recommend enforcement action if the company opts to exclude the proxy vote. Among other reasons, proposals can be excluded if they have been voted on before by a company's shareholders; if they are deemed to not be economically relevant to a company's performance; or if they do not relate to a company's core business activities. For example, according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple Inc. recently received SEC permission to exclude a shareholder proposal from its March 1, 2018 annual meeting that would have established a board of directors committee on social and environmental issues. Apple's request was approved before the government shutdown. Other typical excluded proxies include disclosure of political contributions and lobbying; shareholder special meeting rights; climate change disclosures and antidiscrimination and diversity initiatives.