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Government Affairs
Any employer, plan administrator, third party administrator, plan sponsor etc. knows how many moving parts there are to meeting reporting deadlines and complying with IRS rules and regulations. Apparently the IRS does as well, and it has updated “Retirement Plan Reporting and Disclosure...
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The IRS has issued the much-anticipated final regulations on hybrid retirement plans — and has also provided regulations on the tax treatment of distributions from Roth accounts under tax-favored retirement plans, such as 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans. In a 111-page document, the final regulations...
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When it rains, it pours — in a single week we have had two announcements of congressional hearings on retirement plan issues slated for next week.The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on retirement issues, titled “Retirement Savings 2.0: Updating Savings Policy for the Modern Economy,"...
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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified companies that offer advances in exchange for receiving all or part of their pension funds and questionable practices that may put plan participants at risk. “Pension Advance Transactions: Questionable Business Practices Identified,” a...
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Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has named the members of a panel charged with finding “…ways to better secure retirement savings for private-sector employees in Maryland.” Established by executive order in May and chaired by former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D), the task force brings...
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The U.S. Senate passed legislation July 29 to fund the nation’s Highway Trust Fund — legislation that does not include a pension smoothing provision. The vote tally on the $8.1 billion bill was 79-18.The Senate bill differs from the $10.8 billion version that the House of Representatives passed on...
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Recently, in the review process for determination letter applications, the IRS has taken issue with “412(d)(2)” plan amendments. Some plan sponsors have been told by IRS reviewers that the amendments were not permissible if adopted after the close of the plan year, and that a closing agreement...
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Congress is expected to wrap up its business for the summer in the next two weeks as members continue to work through an extremely limited set of issues in which the two parties can find common ground in this election year. The first of those issues to address is transportation infrastructure...
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On Thursday, July 10, both the House Ways and Means (W&M) and the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) marked up bills to extend funding for the highway trust fund. Both bills include extension of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) interest stabilization provision to...
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The Senate Finance Committee met June 26 to consider a modified chairman’s mark of revenue raisers to pay for an extension of the highway trust fund through the end of the year. The hearing adjourned with no action, but with the stated intention of reconvening to mark up a proposal early in the...
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The ink is barely dry on the legislation that raised the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) premiums, and already there is a proposal to hike them again. In an op-ed that appears in Roll Call, Judy Miller, ASPPA’s Director of Retirement Policy, writes about the prospect and what it means...
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The political dynamic at play between the House of Representatives and the Senate regarding the annual federal spending bills also applies to taxes, as Congress considers tax legislation that includes provisions impacting IRAs and multi-employer pension plans. As with federal spending bills, the U....
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A May 21 Senate Finance subcommittee hearing that purported to be about strengthening Social Security morphed into a critical discussion of the merits of the defined contribution system and industry. Testifying at the hearing held by the committee’s Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and...
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The Joint Economic Committee, a bicameral congressional committee charged with studying matters relating to the United States economy, held a hearing May 21 that examined the unique issues that women face in retirement. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), vice-chair of the committee, convened the hearing...
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The PBGC wasted no time in responding to a study critical of proposed increases in PBGC premiums. It issued its response on May 14, the same day the Pension Coalition released “Increasing Pension Premiums: The Impact on Jobs and Economic Growth,” reports BenefitsPro. The PBGC agreed that premiums...
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Lauding the federal Thrift Savings Plan as “one of the most efficient savings plans in America,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) urged that the DC plan for federal employees be made available to private workers nationwide. Rubio, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, floated the idea in a May 13...
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ASPPA and other groups that represent thousands of employers urged the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives in separate letters to oppose any efforts to further increase premiums paid to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation by sponsors of single-employer DB plans. “We urge you to...
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Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has created a task force to explore how his state can improve retirement security for private sector employees, with an eye toward recommending further action.According to a press release, the task force will meet this year “to conduct a comprehensive examination...
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House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) didn’t mince words at a May 1 event on multiemployer pension plan reform: the current state of affairs “will inflict a lot of pain on homes and workplaces,” and something needs to be done. He made his remarks at an...
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With another testing season in the rearview mirror and PPA restatements looming on the horizon, there are sure to be plenty of questions on everyone’s mind, and ASPPA’s IRS Q&A subcommittee wants to hear them! We are currently gathering questions to go on the list that will be submitted to our...
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