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Regulatory Reform Trump Administration Employee Benefits

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

So, How Can Participants Invest Their Retirement Money?

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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

Ballard Spahr LLP

The OBBBA’s Impact on Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation

Ballard Spahr LLP on

H.R.1—the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)—contains several provisions that directly affect employer-provided benefit programs, primarily health and welfare programs....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

Saul Ewing LLP

Trump’s Megabill: Expanding Choice With Health Savings Accounts

Saul Ewing LLP on

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the reconciliation bill entitled An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14 (“Act”) into law. The changes proposed in the earlier House version of the...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

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 In what’s becoming a routine political tug-of-war, the Trump administration (yes, back again) has rescinded the Biden-era Department of Labor (DOL) guidance cautioning plan sponsors against...more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

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

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

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

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

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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

Woods Rogers

Employee Benefits Likely Impacted by Executive Orders

Woods Rogers on

During the first weeks of the second Trump Administration, a number of executive orders and other actions have been implemented, with some having potential implications for employee benefits. Executive Orders can, and do,...more

Groom Law Group, Chartered

This Week From the Hill (February 2 – February 8, 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

Hogan Lovells

Congress passes FY 2020 funding bill with tax benefits for energy, health care, and retirement plans

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In a rare display of bipartisanship, after intense last minute negotiations between congressional leadership and the Executive Branch, President Donald Trump signed into law legislation passed last week by Congress to...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

Association Health Plan Perspectives (Part 2): The Look-Through Rule and the Limits of State Regulatory Power

In a summary of the recently issued Association Health Plan (AHP) final regulations, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) rightly observed that AHPs are a species of multi-employer welfare arrangements, or MEWAs, that are...more

Bricker Graydon LLP

Association Health Plans: Another tool for small employers to manage health care costs and increase employee access to affordable...

Bricker Graydon LLP on

Following last fall’s Executive Order 13813, which directs regulatory agencies to improve access to affordable employer coverage, the Department of Labor (DOL) recently released the final regulations on small business...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Fifth Circuit Strikes Down DOL Investment Advice Fiduciary Rules

Ballard Spahr LLP on

The Fifth Circuit on March 15 vacated U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regulations that redefined the circumstances in which a person who provides investment advice in connection with a retirement plan or individual retirement...more

BCLP

Deep Dive: Association Health Plans - Part 1

BCLP on

On October 12, 2017, President Trump signed a “Presidential Executive Order Promoting Healthcare Choice and Competition Across the United States” (the “Executive Order”) to “facilitate the purchase of insurance across State...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

The Department of Labor’s Proposed Association Health Plan Regulation: Who Wins, Who Loses?

In last week’s post we explained the changes made by a newly proposed Department of Labor regulation, the purpose of which is make it easier for small employers to band together to form “association health plans” (“AHPs”). In...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Issue 117: DOL Issues Proposed Rules On Association Health Plans

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This is the one hundred and seventeenth issue in our series of alerts for employers on selected topics on health care reform. This series of Health Care Reform Management Alerts is designed to provide an in-depth analysis...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

DOL Proposes Expansion of Association Health Plans

Ballard Spahr LLP on

Following up on the direction provided by Executive Order 13813, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued proposed regulations that would expand the ability of small employers to band together and provide coverage under...more

Stinson - Benefits Notes Blog

Department of Labor Issues Proposed Rules Expanding Access to Association Health Plans

On October 12, 2017 President Trump issued an Executive Order concerning a number of health plan market initiatives. One of the items included in the Executive Order was a directive to the Secretary of Labor to issue proposed...more

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

ERISA Fiduciary Rule Facing Precarious Future

Since its original release as a proposed rule in April 2015 and as a final rule a year later, the Department of Labor’s (DOL's) so-called fiduciary rule — which expands the “investment advice fiduciary” definition under the...more

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