Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act of 2009

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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 111th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

D TierneySponsor

59 cosponsors · 58 D, 1 R

2 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to add a program for emergency retiree health benefit protections.

What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Mar 5, 2009

Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act of 2009 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to add a program for emergency retiree health benefit protections.

Prohibits group health plans from reducing retiree health benefits after the retirement of a plan beneficiary. Requires such plans to adopt provisions barring post-retirement reductions in retiree health benefits.

Requires group health plan sponsors to grant retired plan participants the option of benefit restoration. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to waive or vary requirements for benefit restoration if compliance with such requirements would: (1) be adverse to the interests of plan participants in the aggregate; (2) not be administratively feasible; and (3) cause substantial business hardship to plan sponsors.

Establishes the Emergency Retiree Health Loan Guarantee Program. Authorizes the Program to guarantee loans provided by private financial institutions to assist plan sponsors in meeting benefit restoration obligations under this Act. Terminates loan guarantee authority after 2015.

Authorizes the Secretary to assess civil penalties for violations of this Act.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act of 2009

Latest action (Apr 29, 2009): Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.

Policy area: Health · Origin: House · Introduced: Mar 5, 2009

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.