I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4718 
To amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 with respect to minimum participation 
standards for pension plans and qualified trusts. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 23, 2025 
Ms. PETTERSEN (for herself and Mr. RULLI) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act 
of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 with 
respect to minimum participation standards for pension 
plans and qualified trusts. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Helping Young Ameri-
cans Save for Retirement Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY AT AGE 18 UNDER CERTAIN CONDI-
TIONS. 
(a) ERISA.— 
(1) AGE 18.—Subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 
section 202(c)(1) of the Employee Retirement In-
come Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1052(c)(1)) 
are amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(A) the period permitted under subsection 
(a)(1), determined— 
‘‘(i) without regard to subparagraph 
(B)(i) thereof; and 
‘‘(ii) by substituting ‘18’ for ‘21’ in 
subparagraph (A)(i) thereof; or 
‘‘(B) the first 24-month period— 
‘‘(i) consisting of 2 consecutive 12- 
month periods during each of which the 
employee has at least 500 hours of service; 
and 
‘‘(ii) by the close of which the em-
ployee has met the requirement of sub-
section (a)(1)(A)(i) (without regard to sub-
paragraph (A)(ii) of this paragraph).’’. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—Section 
202(c) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 1052(c)) is amend-
ed— 
(A) in the subsection heading— 
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(i) by striking ‘‘SPECIAL RULE’’ and 
inserting ‘‘SPECIAL RULES’’; and 
(ii) by adding ‘‘AND CERTAIN YOUNG-
ER EMPLOYEES’’ after ‘‘EMPLOYEES’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)(B)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and 
(ii) 
by 
striking 
‘‘section 
401(k)(2)(D)(ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 
401(k)(2)(D)’’. 
(3) OPINION
OF
INDEPENDENT
QUALIFIED 
PUBLIC
ACCOUNTANT.—Section 104(a)(2) of such 
Act (29 U.S.C. 1024(a)(2)) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(C) For purposes of subparagraph (A) and the last 
sentence of section 103(a)(3)(A), with respect to a pension 
plan in which at least one employee participates solely by 
reason of section 202(c)(1)(A), no employee participating 
in such plan solely by reason of section 202(c)(1)(A) shall 
be counted as a participant until the date that is 5 years 
after the date on which the first such employee first be-
comes a participant in such plan.’’. 
(b) INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986.— 
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(1) AGE
18.—Clauses (i) and (ii) of section 
401(k)(2)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
are amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(i) the period permitted under sec-
tion 410(a)(1), determined— 
‘‘(I) without regard to subpara-
graph (B)(i) thereof, and 
‘‘(II) by substituting ‘18’ for ‘21’ 
in subparagraph (A)(i) thereof, or 
‘‘(ii) subject to the provisions of para-
graph (15), the first of 2 consecutive 12- 
month periods during each of which the 
employee has at least 500 hours of service, 
provided that the employee has satisfied 
the requirements of section 410(a)(1)(A)(i) 
(without regard to clause (i)(II) of this 
subparagraph).’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— 
(A) in section 401(k)(15)— 
(i) in the paragraph heading, by add-
ing ‘‘AND
CERTAIN
YOUNGER
WORKERS’’ 
after ‘‘WORKERS’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (B)— 
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(I) in clauses (i) and (ii), by 
striking ‘‘(2)(D)(ii)’’ each place it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘(2)(D)’’; 
(II) in clause (i), by striking 
‘‘202(c)(1)(B)’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘202(c)(1)’’; and 
(III) in clause (iv), striking 
‘‘paragraph (2)(D)(ii)’’ and inserting 
‘‘clauses (i)(II) and (ii) of paragraph 
(2)(D)’’; and 
(B) in section 403(b)(12)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘section 202(c)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 
202(c)(1)(B)’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (D)— 
(I) in the subparagraph heading, 
by inserting ‘‘AND CERTAIN YOUNGER 
EMPLOYEES’’ 
after 
‘‘EMPLOYEES’’; 
and 
(II) in clause (i), by striking 
‘‘202(c)(1)(B)’’ 
and 
adding 
‘‘202(c)(1)’’. 
(c) APPLICATION.—The amendments made by this 
section shall apply to plan years beginning on or after the 
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date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
Æ 
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