The executive pay model is under significant pressure from a variety of sources: a difficult economic environment, highly volatile financial markets, continued criticism from pay critics and new legislative initiatives. The most immediate impact has come from legislation; the bank bailout package passed by Congress in October 2008 includes lower pay cap deduction levels, an expanded definition of golden parachutes and limits on incentives to take “unnecessary and excessive risks” for a company. While these provisions have not yet been applied to the rest of corporate America, influential lawmakers have indicated that they intend to introduce similar restrictions in the near future.