The measure would:
- Require employers maintaining a 401(k) plan to have a dual eligibility requirement under which an employee who has worked less than 1,000 hours but more than 500 over the course of a year must complete one year of service requirement or three consecutive years of service where the employee completes at least 500 hours of service;
- Allow penalty-free withdrawals from retirement plans for any “qualified birth or adoption distributions”;
- Modify the nondiscrimination rules with respect to closed plans to permit existing participants to continue to accrue benefits; and
- Increase the required minimum distribution age from 70.5 to 72, among other items.
Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) said, “Americans currently face a retirement income crisis, with too many people in danger of not having enough in retirement to maintain their standard of living and avoid sliding into poverty.”
Looking ahead: As the workforce ages, retirement reform has become an increasingly hot issue. The bill, which enjoys bipartisan support, has a strong chance of becoming law.