Legislative updates

The Department of Labor (DOL) is extending the comment period for receiving written comments related to prohibited transaction class exemption 84-14 (the Proposed QPAM Amendment) to October 11, 2022. The DOL also intends to hold a public hearing on November 17, 2022, at which time a supplementary comment period will begin, and close approximately 14 days after the hearing transcript is posted on the EBSA’s web page.

Details of the proposed amendment were previously announced.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is proposing modifications to reporting information it asks for on supporting schedules related to annual Form 5500 series returns. The proposal modifies line 19a and correlating instructions of the 2023 Schedule R, Retirement Plan Information, by updating the categories of assets used in identifying investments held by the plan and requiring the breakdown to be reported as of the end of the plan year rather than beginning of the plan year. Additionally, the proposal would modify line 19b and eliminate line 19c. With regard to the Schedule SB, Single-Employer Defined Benefit Plan Actuarial Information, the proposal modifies line 6 (Target Normal Cost) and correlating instructions to address an unlikely reporting inconsistency where a plan requires mandatory employee contributions and the mandatory contributions for the plan year exceed the present value of benefits accruing during the plan year. In addition, PBGC is proposing a change to line 26b attachment instructions to clarify that where a plan assumes benefits are paid in a lump sum but uses the annuity substitution rule to determine the funding target, the attachment may show projected benefits payable in the annuity form instead of the form assumed for valuation purposes.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced a public hearing scheduled for September 15, 2022, (and September 16, 2022, if necessary) regarding its proposal to supersede existing procedures for seeking exemptions from the prohibited transaction provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code. The DOL will also reopen the comment period beginning on the hearing date until approximately 14 days after the DOL publishes the hearing transcript on the Employee Benefits Security Administration’s (EBSA) web page.  

Details of the release of the proposed rule were previously announced.

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, conducted a hearing titled “Saving with ABLE: Financial Security for Pennsylvanians with Disabilities.” The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act was passed into law in 2014, creating tax-free savings accounts for individuals with disabilities to cover qualified disability-related expenses. Senator Casey highlighted how ABLE savings accounts have helped hundreds of thousands of Americans with disabilities improve their quality of life through use of these accounts, and several witnesses shared testimony on the ease of establishing accounts without impacting means testing for other benefits.

Representatives David Schwikert (R-AZ) and Byron Donalds (R-FL) have introduced H.R. 8579, the Retirement Protection Act. The bill proposes modification of the saver’s credit by replacing the three-tier formula with a single 50 percent credit percentage on contributions up to $2,000, with phase outs beginning at certain AGI thresholds. The proposal also provides for a one year $4,000 temporary increase in retirement contribution limits.

Representatives Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) have introduced HR 8521, the Investor Democracy is Expected (INDEX) Act. The bill mirrors S. 4241, which was introduced and announced in May. The bill would require investment advisors of passively managed funds to vote proxies in accordance with the fund investors’ instructions—not at the adviser’s discretion. The adviser would be responsible for passing through the proxies, collecting the instructions, and voting according to the investors’ wishes. Except for routine matters, the investment adviser could not vote on the proportion of shares for which voting instructions were not received. The proposal provides for a safe harbor whereby investment advisers would not be in violation of duties by choosing not to solicit voting instructions or voting the particular proxy.

The IRS issued Notice 2022-33 which extends the deadline for amendments to retirement plans and Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) to adopt provisions enacted under the SECURE Act, the Miners Act, and some provisions under the CARES Act. The Notice provides that qualified plans, IRAs, and non-governmental 403(b) plans must be amended to adopt applicable provisions of each act no later than December 31, 2025. The previous deadline for such amendments under Notice 2020-68 and Notice 2020-86 was December 31, 2022.

Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and John Boozman (R-AR), along with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and John Thune (R-SD), have introduced the “Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act.” According to a press release, the proposal would give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) new tools and authorities to regulate “digital commodities”—which would include Bitcoin and Ether. The bill sponsors serve on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, which has oversight of the CFTC which regulates commodities markets.

A previous proposal by Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) was announced in June.

Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and seven republican co-sponsors have introduced S. 4613, the Maximize Americans’ Retirement Security Act. The bill would amend ERISA as follows:

• Require plan fiduciaries to select investments solely on pecuniary factors
• Require participant notification of an explanation of why pecuniary factors were not sufficient to select the investment and how non-pecuniary factors are consistent with the interests of participants if a fiduciary cannot distinguish between investments on pecuniary factors alone
• Define pecuniary factors as any factors that a fiduciary prudently determines is expected to have a material effect on the risk of return of an investment

Department of Labor guidance regarding what is “pecuniary” and the extent to which non-pecuniary factors can be considered when selecting investments has changed throughout the years. The proposal was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

July 19, 2022 - Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH) has introduced HR 8331, a bill that would provide for a suspension of required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement plans and IRAs for the 2022 calendar year.