ERISA@50
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) stands as a cornerstone in ensuring the security and well-being of American workers by safeguarding their retirement and health and welfare benefits. This landmark legislation has left an indelible mark on the landscape of employee benefits.
As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of ERISA, the American Benefits Council is producing a sequence of events celebrating the 50th anniversary and enhancing our advocacy.
Throughout the Year
Webinar Series
To share complexities facing ERISA, members can join live webinars with council staff and subject-matter experts. Council members who are unable to attend the webinars live will be able to request recordings through our Webinar Archive.
Series Topics Include:
- The State of the States: Updating State Activity Affecting Health Plans
- Trends and Developments in DC Retirement Plan Litigation
- The State of the States, Part II: Updating State Activity Affecting Retirement, Paid Leave and Health Plans
- The Supreme Court’s Decision Overturning Chevron and Its Far-Reaching Impact
Lunch and Learns
A series of “lunch and learn” programs for lawmakers and their staff to demonstrate the many important dimensions of ERISA and the employer-sponsored benefits system.
- On May 30, the American Benefits Council co-hosted the first of a series of Capitol Hill briefings to educate congressional staff on the significance of ERISA. Discussions included the significance, purpose and framework of ERISA, as well as ERISA-related policy issues of interest to Congress.
Learn more - On June 25, the American Benefits Council, EBRI and IFEBP held a Capitol Hill briefing to educate congressional staff on ERISA and its federal preemption, featuring a session on "Health and Retirement Benefit Trends: Facts and Figures."
Learn more - On July 29, The American Benefits Council co-hosted the third in a series of Capitol Hill briefings to educate congressional staff on the significance of ERISA and the value of employer-sponsored benefits.
Learn more - On September 24, the American Benefits Council, in partnership with EBRI and IFEBP, hosted the last in a series of briefings on Capitol Hill to educate congressional staff about the ERISA.
Learn more
Advocacy
Preserving and protecting ERISA as the cornerstone of the employer-sponsored benefits system is one of the American Benefits Council’s core public policy priorities. With Congress similarly observing ERISA’s anniversary, the Council is seizing this moment to share our views with key policymakers.
For example, in a March 14 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives Education and the Workforce Committee, responding to the committee’s formal request for information (RFI), the Council explained the vital importance of the landmark law, and specifically its federal preemption provision.
On September 10, the Council’s Ilyse Schuman, senior vice president, health care and paid leave policy, testified before the Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, urging lawmakers to protect employer-sponsored health coverage by preserving ERISA’s preemption standard and working to lower costs through greater transparency and competition.
The Council will continue to seek out opportunities to emphasize the importance of ERISA and its vital role in providing health and financial security to American workers. We encourage members to share their stories with us – and, whenever possible – with lawmakers directly.
Policy Research
Unveiled at the symposium was a compilation of research papers on ERISA and employee benefits, commissioned specially for the event and coordinated by a committee headed by Barbara Marder, President and CEO of the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).
The Council, in partnership with EBRI, also released released a report underscoring the critical importance of ERISA preemption framework to the operation of employer-sponsored benefit plans.
Symposium & Gala
The Council, in collaboration with 10 other associations, co-hosted a symposium and gala dinner on September 12, to honor, reflect upon, and envision the past, present, and future of ERISA. A recording of the symposium can be accessed here.
