News & Analysis as of

Department of Labor (DOL) Employee Benefits Trump Administration

Carlton Fields

Plan Sponsor and Asset Manager Considerations Under 401(k) Alternatives Executive Order

Carlton Fields on

On August 7, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors,” designed to open the use of alternative investments, including private equity and actively...more

Fisher Phillips

Workplace Law Update: 10 Essential Items on Your August 2025 To-Do List

Fisher Phillips on

Here are the top ten items you should tackle in August, based on the latest workplace law developments and upcoming critical compliance dates...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

So, How Can Participants Invest Their Retirement Money?

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Under the current administration, the Department of Labor has once again changed course on its view of permissible investing strategies for retirement plans, warming to crypto and private equity, and confirming their distrust...more

Carlton Fields

Unsafe Harbor? Deregulation and the Limit of the Secure Act Safe Harbor for Selection of Lifetime Income Provider

Carlton Fields on

On January 31, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14192, titled“ Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation.” Its stated purpose was to encourage the reduction of private expenditure required to comply with federal...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Here we go again

Here’s the short version: the Department of Labor’s decision to reopen the Biden-era ESG rule is overdue—and welcome....more

Littler

Policy Week in Review – June 2025 #3

Littler on

Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Labor Nominees; Announces Committee Votes - On June 18, 2025, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on four nominees for a number of...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Crypto in 401(k) Plans? Sure—But Let’s Not Lose Our Minds

Well, that didn’t take long. In what’s becoming a routine political tug-of-war, the Trump administration (yes, back again) has rescinded the Biden-era Department of Labor (DOL) guidance cautioning plan sponsors against...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

President Trump’s Budget Goes To Work Against Enforcement Agencies with Significant Cuts to DOL and NLRB

Ballard Spahr LLP on

President Trump’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 includes substantial reductions to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) budget and staff.  The proposed discretionary budget is slashed from $13.5 billion to $9...more

Mayer Brown

A Return to Investment Neutrality? DOL Rescinds Guidance Discouraging Plan Fiduciaries from Considering Cryptocurrencies

Mayer Brown on

On May 28, 2025, the US Department of Labor (the “Labor Department”) issued Compliance Assistance Release No. 2025-01 (the “2025 Release”), memorializing the Labor Department’s decision to rescind Compliance Release No....more

Troutman Pepper Locke

ESG Investing in 401(k) Plans – More Rule Changes on the Way

Troutman Pepper Locke on

In our recent client alert, “Texas Federal Court Allows an ERISA Fiduciary Challenge Against Alleged “ESG Investing” Without Any ESG Funds,” we reported that a Texas district court recently upheld Biden-administration...more

Littler

U.S. Department of Labor Expands Opinion Letter Program

Littler on

On June 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) expanded its opinion letter program, which should provide guidance on areas handled by multiple enforcement agencies within the DOL. Publication of opinion letters is a...more

King & Spalding

U.S. Department of Labor Updates: Yes to Crypto and No to ESG?

King & Spalding on

On May 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) provided updated guidance on two employee benefit plan-related investment areas: (1) cryptocurrency and (2) environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) investing....more

Kilpatrick

5 Key Takeaways | Plan Investments and Fiduciary Risk Mitigation in the Trump Era

Kilpatrick on

The landscape for retirement plan investments and fiduciary risks is shifting in the early part of the second Trump Administration, both due to changes in the administration’s policies and developments in the courts....more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Enforcement of Mental Health Parity Regulations Suspended: Takeaways for Plan Sponsors and Health Insurance Issuers

In January 2025, The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) filed a complaint against the US Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (the departments) seeking to invalidate the 2024 final regulations under...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Mental Health Parity Alert - Non-Enforcement of Final Rules

Foley & Lardner LLP on

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), and its implementing regulations and guidance, prohibits health insurance policies and group health plans that cover mental health and substance use disorder...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

Departments Will Not Enforce 2024 Final Rule under MHPAEA

Quarles & Brady LLP on

The Trump Administration has just announced that it will pause enforcement of the September 2024 final rule (“Final Rule”) under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (“MHPAEA”)....more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Parity in Peril? Plan Sponsors Breathe Easier As Trump Administration Hits Pause on Enforcement of Mental Health Parity Final Rule

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

On May 15, 2025 the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury (the “Departments”) announced they will temporarily not enforce their new standards published under the mental health parity Final Rule last...more

Groom Law Group, Chartered

This Week From the Hill (May 4 – 10, 2025)

Each week while Congress is in session, our Policy team delivers a key update to highlight a topical benefits, health, or retirement news item from the Hill, such as a newly introduced bill, a summary of a committee hearing,...more

Dickinson Wright

Federal Enforcement of Mental Health Parity: Key Updates and Challenges Ahead

Dickinson Wright on

On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (“the Departments”) issued their 2024 Report to Congress on the enforcement and implementation of the Mental Health Parity and...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Daniel Aronowitz Nominated to Head EBSA

Daniel Aronowitz, president of Encore Fiduciary, was nominated by President Trump to become the next Assistant Secretary of Labor and lead the Employee Benefits Security Administration....more

Berkshire

Senate Confirms Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Labor Secretary

Berkshire on

President Trump’s formal Cabinet is now complete. With a vote of 67 in favor and 32 against, Lori Chavez-DeRemer becomes the 30th Secretary of Labor. Chavez-DeRemer got her start in politics when she was elected to the city...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

DOL changes? Maybe not so fast

With the change of Presidential administrations, there was certainly a discussion on what the Department of Labor (DOL) may do under President Trump regarding 401(k) plans. As far as regulations, an Executive Order may halt...more

Carlton Fields

President Issues Regulatory Freeze: Will the DOL Fiduciary Rule Saga Continue?

Carlton Fields on

The regulatory pendulum has been swinging toward deregulation since Donald Trump was inaugurated last month. On his first day in office, January 20, 2025, President Trump issued a presidential memorandum titled “Regulatory...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

Labor & employment in Week 4 of Trump 2: No love lost.

Everything's enjoined! Almost. It's been a tough week for President Trump, but he doesn't seem to be letting the bad news get him down. To avoid ruining the Valentine's Day mood, I'll keep this week's update short. ...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Trump Places DOL’s ESOP Proposals in Regulatory Moratorium

On January 16, 2025, the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) released two pieces of guidance that, if finalized, would dramatically change the landscape for fiduciaries responsible...more

124 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 5

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide