OregonSaves and other state-run retirement programs may require employer action

P.L. 115-35, a bill “disapproving” a Department of Labor final rule that permitted states to create retirement savings programs for nongovernmental workers whose employers do not sponsor a retirement plan, was recently signed into law. The final rule specified the conditions to qualify for a “safe harbor” that would exempt certain state-run individual retirement arrangements from ERISA. Despite the disapproval, several states (and municipalities) remain committed to creating or studying retirement savings vehicles for workers whose employers do not offer a plan. The state of Oregon became the first to launch such a program.