regulatory and legislative

The IRS’ posting earlier this week of new question-and-answer (Q&A) guidance on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, was welcomed by those who administer retirement savings arrangements. The guidance provides some additional details on the IRA and retirement plan relief provided by the CARES Act.

The IRS has issued guidance in question-and-answer (Q&A) format on the special IRA and retirement plan relief granted in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, legislation signed into law on March 27, 2020. This relief is intended to aid those affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has impacted the health and economic welfare—or both—of many Americans.

Click here to download the PDF.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed the Paycheck Protection and Healthcare Enhancement Act, legislation that would provide $320 billion in additional funding to the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This lending program is intended to help small employers retain employees on their payrolls during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and resulting economic emergency. The legislation would also provide funding for hospitals dealing with the immediate effects of the pandemic, and, specifically, for enhanced COVID-19 testing.

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has introduced the Securing Additional Value for Every Retirement Saver (SAVERS) Act, legislation that would permit increased annual contributions to tax-qualified retirement savings arrangements for 2020.

The Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), has issued several information and guidance items to provide administrative and operational relief to ERISA-governed retirement and health benefit plans as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Among the guidance items is a final rule jointly issued with the Department of the Treasury and the IRS.

Following passage by an overwhelming margin in the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday, President Trump today signed into law the Paycheck Protection and Healthcare Enhancement Act, infusing $320 billion in additional funding into the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), the agency that insures benefits in certain single-employer defined benefit pension plans, has posted an announcement describing deadline relief being provided as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Scheduled to be published in the Federal Register is an interim final rule issued by the federal Small Business Administration (SBA), guidance that includes frequently-asked-questions (FAQs) on Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans available to small businesses to help them maintain their workforce during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Much-awaited Department of Labor (DOL) final regulations on electronic delivery of retirement plan disclosures have made their way to the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), generally the final stop on their way to official issue. (Only if the OMB finds objections to guidance is it returned to the issuing agency for revision.)