[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 121 (Monday, September 14, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S10328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        EBRI'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an 
organization that has served the U.S. Senate well for 20 years. The 
organization I want to talk about is the Employee Benefit Research 
Institute or EBRI, as we call it. EBRI is observing its 20th 
anniversary today, September 14. Created with the help of a handful of 
employee benefit consultants and actuaries in 1978 who wanted to fill 
the void that existed relating to data about employee benefits, EBRI 
has increased its membership to include representatives from pension 
funds to Fortune 500 companies, labor unions, and trade associations.
  With this broad representation, EBRI has the ability to influence 
policymakers and elected officials throughout the country. But EBRI 
uses its influence wisely. EBRI does not lobby Members of Congress or 
other governmental agencies. Rather, its mission is to provide 
objective, nonpartial information on the issues of economic security 
and employee benefits. EBRI does its job very, very well.
  As Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, I can 
personally attest to the value of EBRI's work and the expertise of its 
staff. Last year, the CEO of EBRI, Dallas Salisbury moderated a panel 
forum consisting of 6 experts who discussed the role of employment in 
retirement income. This forum led to a Senate hearing on the issue of 
the implications of raising the retirement age, as well as a number of 
articles in newspapers and magazines on the need to consider whether 
older Americans have sufficient opportunities to stay employed.
  More recently, EBRI was actively involved with its educational 
partner, the American Savings Education Council (ASEC), in the planning 
of the first National Summit on Retirement Savings. This Summit was 
part of an initiative I introduced in the Senate called the Savings Are 
Vital to Everyone's Retirement or SAVER Act. The Summit attracted 
international attention and has put the Department of Labor, ASEC, and 
state and local governments on a course toward enhancing the awareness 
of Americans about the need to save for retirement and how to go about 
it.
  I know my colleagues value the work of EBRI just as much I do. In the 
years ahead, I am sure we will continue to rely heavily on the research 
and the publications produced by EBRI. The issues EBRI concerns itself 
with--employee benefits and income security--are receiving more 
national attention than ever before. EBRI's contributions as an 
objective provider of information will help make the job of ensuring 
Americans have health and income security in retirement easier to 
achieve.

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