[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 161 (Friday, October 3, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     EMPLOYEE BENEFIT RESEARCH INSTITUTE 30TH ANNIVERSARY--TRIBUTE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 3, 2008

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, among the key areas 
of jurisdiction for the Education and Labor Committee are employee 
benefits--specifically, retirement and health benefits--that are so 
important to the economic security of American workers. Over the years, 
Congress has passed various laws designed to protect and strengthen the 
health and pension benefit programs that millions of American workers 
and retirees depend on.
  Congress needs timely and objective data in order to determine and 
ensure that these critical programs are delivering needed benefits. 
When Government data is not available, one of the most valuable 
resources we have to help us understand what is happening in these 
areas is the nonpartisan and nonprofit Employee Benefit Research 
Institute, EBRI, which marks its 30th anniversary this year.
  EBRI is a rare organization in Washington: It does not take policy 
positions and it does not lobby--its mission is to provide objective, 
accurate, reliable research. One of the reasons its work gets attention 
and is respected is because EBRI does not have an ideological agenda 
and it does not try to ``spin'' the numbers. Because EBRI is a non-
advocacy organization, legislators on both sides of the aisle can use 
its work with confidence.
  EBRI also has important educational initiatives, in particular its 
``Chose to Save'' program, which has produced and distributed award-
winning public service announcements designed to help Americans wake up 
to the need for saving. This campaign also provides valuable tools so 
workers can quickly and easily determine a ``Ballpark Estimate'' of how 
much they need to save, and gives them pointers on how to start saving 
and where to go for help.
  EBRI was created partly as a result of the enactment in 1974 of 
ERISA, the major Federal law governing health and retirement benefits, 
because employers needed objective, reliable information about benefit 
trends. Much has changed since then, both in the benefits that American 
workers receive, and in the Federal laws that govern those benefits. 
EBRI's work has helped lawmakers, plan sponsors, workers, and the news 
media understand current trends and how proposed legislative changes 
are likely to affect the benefits system.
  EBRI has been guided by Dallas Salisbury, its president and chief 
executive officer. Mr. Salisbury has been an important analyst and 
contributor to national public policy decision making on employee 
benefits. His thoughtful and often prescient analyses have aided 
lawmakers throughout the years.
  EBRI's research provides information that is critical to the 
decisions made by public policymakers. As EBRI celebrates its 30th 
anniversary, I want to thank them for decades of quality work. We look 
forward to their continued research and analysis in the future.

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