Celebrating 50 Years of ERISA: A Landmark in Employee Benefits Law

We are proud to have been part of an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), a landmark piece of legislation that established new rights for employee benefit plan participants. Over the years, Congress has introduced significant amendments to ERISA, such as the Retirement Equity Act of 1984, the Pension Protection Act of 2006, and the SECURE Acts, which have continuously enhanced retirement savings and protections for employees.

The evolution of employee benefits law, particularly with the growing reliance of American workers on their 401(k) plans as their primary source of retirement income, underscores the importance of ERISA. This event provided a unique opportunity to delve into the history and future of this pivotal legislation.

Event Highlights

The esteemed panelists, who have been an integral part of ERISA's development and implementation since its inception, shared their insights on the following topics:

• The origins and adoption of ERISA.
• The growth of employee protections over the past five decades.
• Potential expansions to ERISA to cover more workers and address gender and racial disparities.
• Predictions for future changes in employee benefits law.

Program Speakers:

• J. Mark Iwry: Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury for National Retirement & Health Policy.
• Israel Goldowitz: Partner at The Wagner Law Group and former Chief Counsel of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
• Carol Buckmann: Partner at Cohen & Buckmann P.C.
• Jeff Mamorsky: Partner at Cohen & Buckmann P.C.