The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) recently submitted comments on two separate proposed rulemakings in connection with the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0) – one on retirement plan “catch-up contributions” and the other on the mandate for newly-established plans to automatically enroll participants.
Miscellaneous Archives:
ERIC Cautions Texas Health Care Legislation Raises ERISA Preemption Concerns
Washington, D.C., March 10, 2025 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) last week wrote to Chair Kolkhorst and Members of the Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services expressing concerns that state policies, such as those proposed by SB 1122, would interfere with the design and administration of self-funded health benefit plans governed by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). Given the rising cost of prescription drugs and the growing interest in regulating pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), ERIC urged the Committee to address the ERISA preemption issues raised by SB 1122 to avoid legal challenges seen in other states. An ERIC statement can be found below and is attributable to Dillon Clair, Director of State Advocacy for ERIC.
ERIC and Employer Coalition Urges Court to Safeguard Integrity of ERISA
Washington, D.C., February 27, 2025 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) and coalition allies yesterday filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to uphold a previous decision issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in Robert Watt, et al v. FedEx Corporation, et al (Watt).
ERISA Industry Committee Urges Court to Dismiss Case that Paves a Pathway to Frivolous Litigation
Washington, D.C., February 27, 2025 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) yesterday filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of New York supporting Defendant’s motion to dismiss in Bueno v. General Electric (Bueno).
ERIC Seeks to Halt Mental Health Parity Rule
Washington, D.C., February 20, 2025 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) has asked for a stay of enforcement of the September 2024 Final Rule under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (the Final Rule) while ERIC’s lawsuit challenging the validity of the Final Rule is pending.
ERIC Shares Employer Priorities with Congressional Lawmakers
Washington, D.C., February 11, 2025 –Today, The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) sent a letter to Congressional leaders outlining the organization’s position on key policy issues affecting large employer member companies that voluntarily provide health, retirement, and other benefits to workers and families across the country.
ERIC and Employer Coalition Urge Court to Uphold Decision Preserving Integrity of ERISA
Washington, D.C., February 4, 2025 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) and a coalition of employee benefit industry groups urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to uphold a previous decision issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in William Drummond v. Southern Company Services (Drummond).
ERIC Files Amicus Brief to Preserve Treatment of Bonus Compensation Programs
Washington, D.C., January 30, 2025 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) and coalition allies (the amici) filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (the court) to vacate the judgement in Shafer v. Morgan Stanley (Shafer).
ERIC and Coalition Allies Submit Amicus Brief Urging Review of Pension Risk Transfer Case That Threatens a Surge in Frivolous Litigation
Washington, D.C., January 24, 2025 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) and coalition allies (the amici) filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York (the court) to dismiss Doherty v. Bristol-Myers Squibb (Doherty).
ERIC Sues to Stop Recent Biden Administration Mental Health Regulations, Saying New Regulations Overstep Existing Mental Health Parity Law
Washington, D.C., January 17, 2025 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) today filed a Complaint against the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury (the Tri-Departments), seeking to invalidate the Final Rule issued by the Tri-Departments under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA). The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Final Rule was issued in the twilight of the Biden Administration in September of 2024. Former Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia and his colleagues at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP represent ERIC in this matter and prepared the Complaint, which is available here.