EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT

Amendments

Pensions: change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate (H.R. 3108), S166, S193, S197 [22JA], S219 [23JA], S235, S253, S256, S257, S258, S259, S260, S261 [26JA], S275, S278, S289, S290 [27JA], S296 [28JA]

Small business: improve access and choice relative to employee health care (H.R. 4281), H2976 [13MY]

Appointments

Conferees: H.R. 3108, Pension Funding Equity Act, S1401 [12FE], H835 [4MR]

Articles and editorials

Pension Perniciousness, S234 [26JA], S267 [27JA]

Bills and resolutions

Business and industry: exclude cooperative employing units from multiple employer welfare arrangements (see H.R. 4795), H5470 [9JY]

Health: improve access to health insurance and Medicare benefits for individuals aged 55 to 65 and allow tax credits for payment of such premiums (see H.R. 4357), H2918 [12MY]

———protection of enrollees in managed care plans and HMO's (see S. 2083), S1286 [12FE] (see H.R. 4628), H4646 [21JN]

———protection of enrollees in managed care plans and HMO's (H.R. 4628), consideration (see H. Res. 773), H7138 [14SE]

Insurance: coverage of bone mass measurements (see H.R. 4154), H2152 [2AP]

———coverage of hearing aids under group and individual health plans and the Federal employees' health benefits program (see H.R. 4241), H2483 [28AP]

———require group and individual health insurance coverage and group health plans to provide prompt payment for health benefits claims (see S. 2308), S4024 [8AP]

Native Americans: regulate Indian tribal governments under the same rules and procedures that apply to Federal, State, and local governments relative to establishment and maintenance of employee benefit plans (see S. 2831), S9525 [22SE]

Pensions: change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate (see S. 2282), S3631 [5AP]

———change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate and establish a commission on defined benefit plans (see S. 2005), S52 [20JA]

———clarify status of certain employee benefit plans (see S. 2928), S10703 [7OC]

———limit availability of benefits under nonqualified deferred compensation plans subject to distress or termination resulting from bankruptcy reorganization or conversion to cash balance plan (see H.R. 5292), H9047 [8OC]

———protect retirement security of workers by ensuring assets are adequately diversified and providing workers with access to information about their plans (see S. 2424), S5499 [14MY]

Securities: provide a reasonable correction period for certain security and commodity transactions under the prohibited transaction rules (see H.R. 5290), H9047 [8OC]

Small business: improve access and choice relative to employee health care (see H.R. 4281), H2656 [5MY]

———improve access and choice relative to employee health care (H.R. 4281), consideration (see H. Res. 638), H2815 [11MY]

Taxation: provide retirement security and pension reform (see H.R. 5397, 5398), H10078 [19NO]

Conference reports

Pension Funding Equity Act (H.R. 3108), H1997-H2014 [1AP]

Letters

Medicare Early Access Act: Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, E827 [12MY]

Pension Funding Equity Act: Elaine L. Chao, John W. Snow and Donald L. Evans, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., S233 [26JA]

Prohibit Dept. of the Treasury funding to assist in overturning district court ruling on IBM Corp., cash balance pension conversion: Michael Naylor, AARP, H7271 [21SE]

Small Business Health Fairness Act: Douglas Holtz-Eakin, CBO, H2973 [13MY]

———Karen Bender, American Academy of Actuaries, H2972 [13MY]

Lists

Organizations opposing H.R. 4281, Small Business Health Fairness Act, H2961-H2966 [13MY]

Organizations supporting H.R. 4281, Small Business Health Fairness Act, H2980 [13MY]

Organizations supporting S. 486, Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, S5732 [19MY]

Organizations supporting the multiemployer pension plan provisions of H.R. 3108, Pension Funding Equity Act, S3977 [8AP]

Motions

Pensions: change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate (H.R. 3108), S271 [27JA]

———change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate (H.R. 3108), conference report, H2131 [2AP]

Small business: improve access and choice relative to employee health care (H.R. 4281), H2984 [13MY]

Press releases

Small Business Health Fairness Act: American Academy of Actuaries, H2971 [13MY]

Remarks in House

Dept. of the Treasury: prohibit funding to assist in overturning district court ruling on IBM Corp., cash balance pension conversion, H7132 [14SE], H7269-H7274 [21SE]

Health: improve access to health insurance and Medicare benefits for individuals aged 55 to 65 and allow tax credits for payment of such premiums (H.R. 4357), E826 [12MY], E843 [14MY]

Mental health: provide for equal insurance coverage of benefits unless comparable limitations are imposed on medical and surgical benefits (H.R. 953), H8174, H8243, H8244 [6OC], H8642 [7OC]

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.: prohibit funding enforcing ERISA provisions that avoid disclosing to workers and retirees the status of their pension plan, H6852-H6855 [8SE]

Pensions: amortization hiatus for the 20 percent of multiemployer pension plans with the largest net investment losses, H2124-H2132 [2AP]

———change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate (H.R. 3108), H835 [4MR], H1234 [18MR], E103 [3FE]

———change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate (H.R. 3108), conference report, H2123-H2132 [2AP]

———change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate (H.R. 3108), conference report—unanimous-consent agreement, H2037 [1AP]

———limit availability of benefits under nonqualified deferred compensation plans subject to distress or termination resulting from bankruptcy reorganization or conversion to cash balance plan (H.R. 5292), E1892 [11OC]

———provide for security of multiemployer pension plans, H2123-H2132 [2AP]

Small business: improve access and choice relative to employee health care, E761 [5MY]

———improve access and choice relative to employee health care (H.R. 660), H114 [27JA], H2735, H2737 [11MY], H2820, H2895 [12MY], H2923 [13MY]

———improve access and choice relative to employee health care (H.R. 4281), H2818 [12MY], H2951-H2986 [13MY], E876 [17MY], E891 [18MY]

———improve access and choice relative to employee health care (H.R. 4281), consideration (H. Res. 638), H2822-H2829 [12MY]

———improve access and choice relative to employee health care (H.R. 4281), motion to recommit, H2984-H2986 [13MY]

Remarks in Senate

Health: protection of enrollees in managed care plans and HMO's (S. 2083), S1294 [12FE]

Insurance: require group and individual health insurance coverage and group health plans to provide prompt payment for health benefits claims (S. 2308), S4046 [8AP]

Mental health: provide for equal insurance coverage of benefits unless comparable limitations are imposed on medical and surgical benefits (S. 486), S599-S601 [5FE], S5730-S5733 [19MY], S5907 [20MY], S10692 [7OC]

Native Americans: regulate Indian tribal governments under the same rules and procedures that apply to Federal, State, and local governments relative to establishment and maintenance of employee benefit plans (S. 2831), S9533 [22SE]

Pensions: change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate (H.R. 3108), S157-S168 [22JA], S208, S212-S214 [23JA], S226-S237, S241 [26JA], S266-S278 [27JA], S294-S304 [28JA], S550, S551 [4FE], S1401 [12FE], S1450 [23FE]

———change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate (H.R. 3108), conference report, S3738, S3773 [6AP], S3871, S3957 [7AP], S3968-S3989, S3991, S3995, S3996 [8AP], S4155 [20AP], S5223 [11MY]

———change the 30-year treasury bond rate to a composite corporate rate (H.R. 3108), conference report—unanimous-consent agreement, S3910 [7AP]

———improve disclosure of funding status and suspend amortization of experience losses of multiemployer pension plans, S157-S159, S165 [22JA], S298 [28JA]

———provide for security of multiemployer pension plans, S3968-S3989, S3995, S3996 [8AP]

———restrict employers that choose alternative deficit reduction contributions from applying for a funding waiver, S235-S237 [26JA]

Taxation: improve portability of retirement savings and expand pension coverage and savings opportunities (S. 1912), S298 [28JA]

Reports filed

Consideration of H.R. 4281, Small Business Health Fairness Act: Committee on Rules (House) (H. Res. 638) (H. Rept. 108-484), H2814 [11MY]

National Employee Savings and Trust Equity Guarantee Act: Committee on Finance (Senate) (S. 2424) (S. Rept. 108-266), S5499 [14MY]

Pension Funding Equity Act: Committee of Conference (H.R. 3108) (H. Rept. 108-457), H2018 [1AP]

Pension Stability Act: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Senate) (S. 2005) (S. Rept. 108-221), S52 [20JA]

Statements

Pension Funding Equity Act: Executive Office of the President, S233 [26JA]

Studies

Small Business Health Fairness Act: Beth Fritchen and Karen Bender, Mercer Risk, Finance & Insurance Consulting, Inc., H2971 [13MY]

Summaries

Medicare Early Access Act (H.R. 4357), E827 [12MY]

Texts of

H. Res. 638, consideration of H.R. 4279, taxation of cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements, H.R. 4280, Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act, and H.R. 4281, Small Business Health Fairness Act, H2821 [12MY]

H.R. 3108, Pension Funding Equity Act, S299-S303 [28JA]

H.R. 4281, Small Business Health Fairness Act, H2951-H2957 [13MY]

S. 2308, Prompt Payment of Health Benefits Claims Act, S4046-S4048 [8AP]

S. 2831, Governmental Pension Plan Equalization Act, S9533 [22SE]