Conversation with Former SEC Chief Economist Dr. Jessica Wachter on Investment Management Rulemaking at the Commission – PE Pathways
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: Regulators Escalate Focus on the Risks of Bank Relationships with Fintechs and Other Third Parties
DE Under 3: OFCCP Resurrects Proposal for Monthly CC-257 Employment Utilization Reports for Construction Contractors
DE Under 3: Updated EEOC COVID-19 Technical Assistance Guidance, Case Decision & Wage & Hour Division Proposed Rule
Digital Assets Regulation Framework: Commerce Solicits Public Comment
DE Under 3: EEOC & DOJ Technical Guidance for Employer’s AI Use; Upcoming EEOC Hearing; Event for Mental Health in the Workplace
Comment Deadline Approaching: Proposed Amendments Restricting Use of Prop 65 Short-Form Warnings
2BInformed: The Future of Fluoride in Drinking Water, the New TSCA Fees Rule, and the Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List 5
Recent Actions on Ag Biotech by EPA’s Emerging Technologies Branch
III-44- A Little Help From The DOL
[WEBINAR] Laying the Foundation for Maximizing Benefits Around Emerging Technologies
[WEBINAR] Fairly (or Unfairly?) Traceable: Are Discharges Through Groundwater Subject to the Clean Water Act?
Episode 014: Business Divorce Stories: Business Appraiser Tony Cotrupe and Attorney Jeff Eilender
The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) just dropped an RFI (RIN 1210–AC10) and some limited guidance on pooled employer plans (PEPs), asking for public input, especially from small...more
This episode of PE Pathways features Dr. Jessica Wachter, former chief economist and director of the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), now a professor in quantitative...more
The US Department of Labor has released its package of proposed changes to the regulation defining nondiscretionary fiduciary advice and to the exemptions for conflicts and compensation for investment recommendations to...more
On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor (the "DOL") issued a new proposed rule pertaining to the definition of “fiduciary” under ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code. If adopted, the proposed rule would...more
On October 31, the Department of Labor (DOL) released a proposed rule (the Proposed Rule) aiming to redefine and expand who qualifies as an “investment advice fiduciary” under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of...more
To the relief of plan sponsors everywhere, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued Notice 2023-62, which provides guidance on the requirements of Section 603 of the SECURE Act 2.0 of 2022 relating to catch-up...more
In welcome news to employers, recordkeepers, and payroll providers, the IRS announced last week that it is giving more time to comply with mandatory Roth catch-up contributions under the SECURE Act 2.0. As you may know,...more
The IRS has announced a two-year “administrative transition period” for plan sponsors to implement the SECURE 2.0 Act provision requiring higher-income employees to make retirement plan catch-up contributions as Roth...more
The United States is in the process of transitioning ESG disclosure from voluntary, market-led reporting to a regulatory-driven scheme, principally led by the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) anticipated (but...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2023-43 (Notice) on May 25, which provided guidance regarding the expansion of the IRS’s Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS) mandated by Section 305 of the...more
Introduction - On February 27, 2023, the Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) and Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued proposed regulations (the “Proposed Regulations”) relating to forfeitures in tax-qualified...more
The IRS recently issued Proposed Regulations that clarify and update existing rules governing how and when forfeitures must be used in qualified defined contribution (e.g., 401(k)) and defined benefit retirement plans. ...more
Historically, the topic of forfeitures has raised many questions for qualified plan administrators- specifically, how and when they can be used. But there has been little formal guidance from the Department of Treasury and...more
The Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently announced (88 Fed. Reg. 9408, Feb. 14, 2023) that it will reopen the public comment period on proposed amendments to DOL’s Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (“VFCP”) and its...more
As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRS issued temporary relief that allowed for remote notarizations of spousal consents and other participant elections for retirement plan withdrawals under certain...more
On December 14, 2022, the SEC proposed four separate equity market structure rulemakings, each of which, if adopted, will have significant effects on the markets and various industry participants. While designed to address...more
On October 14, 2022, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), the federal agency that insures and regulates private-sector defined benefit pension plans under Title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of...more
The US Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced that it is seeking comment on the impact of climate change on retirement security and what actions, if any, the agency should take to protect retirement savings from such...more
On October 14, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (the “DOL”) published in the Federal Register a new proposed regulation (the “Proposed Rules”) on fiduciary responsibility in...more
On October 14, 2021, the US Department of Labor (DOL) proposed changes to ERISA regulations that would again shift the analysis of consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in retirement plans...more
A new proposal would amend changes made to ERISA less than a year ago that have proved to be detrimental to ESG investing. In a sweeping reversal of Trump-era policies, the US Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a...more
The IRS recently issued Notice 2021-40, providing a one-year extension through June 30, 2022, of the temporary relief from the physical presence requirement for certain plan elections (including spousal consents) required to...more
On June 24, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released Notice 2021-40, which extended relief from the “physical presence” requirement for witnessing by plan representatives or notaries of spousal consents through...more
We recently highlighted the employee benefits provisions that accompanied the latest COVID-19 relief law as part of our summary of that Act. This article addresses some of the other recent employee benefits-related changes...more
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (“SECURE Act”) made several changes to the rules for certain safe harbor 401(k) plans. One change increased the cap on automatic enrollment safe harbor...more