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House Committee on Education and the Workforce Advances Reforms to Expand Affordable Health Care Coverage for Working Families

"The three bills approved by the committee [on March 7] are: [1] The Small Business Health Fairness Act (H.R. 1101), [which] would empower small businesses to band together through association health plans to negotiate for lower health insurance costs on behalf of their employees.... [2] The Self-Insurance Protection Act (H.R. 1304), [which] would reaffirm long-standing policies to ensure employers can continue to offer workers flexible, more affordable health care plans through self-insurance.... [3] The Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (H.R. 1313), [which] would provide employers the legal certainty they need to offer employee wellness plans, helping to promote a healthy workforce and lower health care costs."

Committee on Education and the Workforce Letter to PBGC Following OIG Risk Advisory on Administration of SFA Program (PDF)

"It appears PBGC is ignoring the serious nature of the risk advisory by continuing to approve supplemented SFA applications without a contingency plan if the agency is found to be making improper payments."

House Education and the Workforce Committee Hearing: Legislative Proposals to Improve Health Care Coverage and Provide Lower Costs for Families

Held March 1, 2017. Page includes links to video webcast, written testimony by invited witnesses, and text of legislative proposals.

House Education and Workforce Committee Letter to DOL Inspector General Questioning EBSA Sharing of Confidential Retirement Plan Information with Plaintiffs' Attorney (PDF)

"The Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee) has learned that the Department of Labor (DOL) shared confidential information involving at least six employee benefit pension plans with a plaintiffs' attorney.... DOL appears to be working in concert with plaintiffs' attorneys to circumvent the discovery protections of the FRCP by conducting a fishing expedition under the guise of an EBSA investigation and then supplying confidential information to plaintiffs' attorneys for use in private litigation against plan fiduciaries.... EBSA must immediately take steps to protect the confidentiality of information gathered during investigations and to reassure employee benefits plan fiduciaries that their cooperation during investigations will not lead to coercive actions from plaintiffs' attorneys."

Statement by House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman on PBGC Multiemployer Pension Reports

"The bipartisan Multiemployer Pension Reform Act provides the tools necessary to save plans from insolvency and protect retirees from losing everything. When trustees are denied the opportunity to use those tools, the risk to workers, taxpayers, and retirees grows greater. [The PBGC report] is a reminder of the urgent need to enact additional reforms to strengthen multiemployer pensions, reforms that would modernize the system for workers and provide PBGC additional resources to meet its obligations."

Education and the Workforce Committee Passes Landmark Health Care Package

"The package includes four bills: [1] Transparency in Billing Act [HR 4509] ... [2] Transparency in Coverage Act [HR 4507] ... which provides consumers with price transparency for medical services and prescription drugs [and] brings much needed light to Pharmacy Benefit Managers' (PBMs) business practices ... [3] Health DATA Act [HR 4527] ... Ensures health plan fiduciaries are not contractually restricted from receiving cost or quality of care information about their plan. [4] Hidden Fee Disclosure Act [HR 4508] ... Strengthens requirements that PBMs and Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) disclose compensation to plan fiduciaries."

Senate Finance Committee Hearing: Exploring Paid Leave -- Policy, Practice, and Impact on the Workforce

Video of October 25 hearing, including testimony by: [1] Ben Verhoeven, Peoria Gardens, Inc.; [2] Jocelyn Frye, National Partnership for Women & Families; [3] Rachel Greszler, The Heritage Foundation; and [4] Elizabeth Milito, National Federation of Independent Business.  

U.S. House Committee Leaders Respond to Reports on Multiemployer Pension System

"Bipartisan leaders on the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee responded today to three reports on the nation's multiemployer pension system. The reports provide a broad examination of the challenges facing the pension system responsible for providing retirement benefits to more than 10 million individuals."

House Committee Approves Legislation to Strengthen Protections for Retirement Savers, Ensure Access to Affordable Retirement Advice

"The House Committee on Education and the Workforce... [has] approved two bipartisan bills that will strengthen the retirement security of working Americans: the Affordable Retirement Advice Protection Act (H.R. 4293), introduced by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), and the Strengthening Access to Valuable Education and Retirement Support Act (H.R. 4294), introduced by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL). The complementary proposals will require financial advisors to serve their clients' best interests and protect access to high-quality, affordable retirement advice." [Video of Feb. 2 Committee hearing is available online.]

House Committee Letter to PBGC Questioning Refusal to Recover $127 Million in Taxpayer Money Sent to Ghost Pensions (PDF)

"The Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee) is investigating reckless mismanagement at the [PBGC] that led to sending a $127 million overpayment to one multiemployer plan. This overpayment raises the concern that more overpayments exist.... By all appearances, PBGC intended to shift taxpayer dollars to the Central States Pension Fund in an unauthorized windfall and refuses to get this money back"