Source: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/jsp/eAgenda/StaticContent/201210/Statement_1212.html
Timestamp: 2019-09-21 19:39:41
Document Index: 81521709

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 4043', 'art 4041', 'art 4281', 'art 4231', 'art 4010', 'art 4007']

Statement of Regulatory and Deregulatory Priorities
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) protects the pensions of about 44 million people in more than 27,000 private-sector defined benefit plans. PBGC receives no funds from general tax revenues. Operations are financed by insurance premiums, investment income, assets from pension plans trusteed by PBGC, and recoveries from the companies formerly responsible for the trusteed plans.
To carry out these functions, PBGC issues regulations on such matters as termination, payment of premiums, reporting and disclosure, and assessment and collection of employer liability. The Corporation is committed to issuing simple, understandable, flexible, and timely regulations to help affected parties.
PBGC is changing its regulatory approach so that its regulations do not inadvertently discourage the maintenance of existing defined benefit plans or the establishment of new plans. Businesses and plans have commented that PBGC's regulations impose burdens where the actual risk to plans and PBGC is minimal. Thus, in developing new regulations and reviewing existing regulations, the focus, to the extent possible, is to avoid placing burdens on plans, employers, and participants, and to ease and simplify employer compliance. In particular, PBGC strives to meet the needs of small businesses that sponsor defined benefit plans.
PBGC develops its regulations in accordance with the principles set forth in Executive Order 13563 "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review" (Jan. 18, 2011), and PBGC's Plan for Regulatory Review (Regulatory Review Plan), which can be found at www.pbgc.gov/documents/plan-for-regulatory-review.pdf. This Statement of Regulatory and Deregulatory Priorities reflects PBGC's ongoing implementation of its Regulatory Review Plan. Progress reports on the plan can be found at http://www.pbgc.gov/Documents/PBGC-Retrospective-Review-Plan-Report-May2012.pdf and http://www.pbgc.gov/Documents/PBGC-Retrospective-Review-Plan-Report.pdf.
PBGC administers two insurance programs for privately defined benefit plans under title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA): A single-employer plan termination insurance program and a multiemployer plan insolvency insurance program.
• Single-Employer Program. Under the single-employer program, when a plan terminates with insufficient assets to cover all plan benefits (distress and involuntary terminations), PBGC pays plan benefits that are guaranteed under title IV. PBGC also pays nonguaranteed plan benefits to the extent funded by plan assets or recoveries from employers.
• Multiemployer Program. The smaller multiemployer program covers more than 1,450 collectively bargained plans involving more than one unrelated employer. PBGC provides financial assistance (in the form of a loan) to the plan if the plan is unable to pay benefits at the guaranteed level. Guaranteed benefits are less than single-employer guaranteed benefits.
At the end of fiscal year 2012, PBGC had a $34 billion deficit in its insurance programs.
Regulatory Objectives and Priorities
PBGC's regulatory objectives and priorities are developed in the context of the Corporation's statutory purposes:
• To encourage voluntary private pension plans.
• To provide for the timely and uninterrupted payment of pension benefits.
• To keep premiums at the lowest possible levels.
Pensions and the statutory framework in which they are maintained and terminate are inherently complex. Despite this inherent complexity, PBGC is committed to issuing simple, understandable, flexible, and timely regulations and other guidance that do not impose undue burdens that could impede maintenance or establishment of defined benefit plans.
Through its regulations and other guidance, PBGC strives to minimize burdens on plans, plan sponsors, and plan participants; simplify filing; provide relief for small businesses and plans; and assist plans in complying with applicable requirements. To enhance policy-making through collaboration, PBGC also plans to expand opportunities for public participation in rulemaking (see Open Government and Public Participation below).
PBGC's current regulatory objectives and priorities are to simplify its regulations and reduce burden, particularly in the areas of premiums and reporting, enhance retirement security, and complete implementation of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA 2006).
Pursuant to section 6 of Executive Order 13563 "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review" (Jan. 18, 2011), the following Regulatory Identifier Numbers (RINs) have been identified as associated with retrospective review and analysis in the Department's final retrospective review of regulations plan. The proposals are described below.
Reportable Events; Pension Protection Act of 2006
1212-AB06
Expected to reduce burden on small business
Liability for Termination of Single-Employer Plans; Treatment of Substantial Cessation of Operations; ERISA section 4062(e)
1212-AB20
1212-AB26
Termination of Multiemployer Plans; Duties of Plan Sponsor Following Mass Withdrawal; Mergers and Transfers Between Multiemployer Plans
1212-AB25
Allocation of Assets in Single-Employer Plans; Valuation of Benefits and Assets
1212-AA55
Reportable events. PPA 2006 affected certain provisions in PBGC's reportable events regulation (part 4043), which requires employers to notify PBGC of certain plan or corporate events. In November 2009, PBGC published a proposed rule to conform the regulation to the PPA 2006 changes and make other changes.1 In response to Executive Order 13563 and comments on the non-PPA 2006 provisions of the proposed rule, PBGC decided to re-propose the rule. PBGC is trying to take advantage of other existing reporting requirements and methods to avoid burdening companies and plans, possibly by expanding waivers and redefining events to reduce reporting. PBGC is also considering how to implement stakeholder suggestions that different reporting requirements should apply in circumstances where the risk to PBGC is low or compliance is especially burdensome. The draft proposed rule is currently under OMB review.
ERISA section 4062(e). The statutory provision requires reporting of, and liability for, certain substantial cessations of operations by employers that maintain single-employer plans. In August 2010, PBGC issued a proposed rule to provide guidance on the applicability and enforcement of section 4062(e).2 In light of comments, PBGC is reconsidering its 2010 proposed rule. At the same time, PBGC is in the process of developing and implementing working criteria for cases involving financially strong companies. Historically, this requirement has been enforced regardless of the financial health of the plan sponsor. The business community argued that this imposed an onerous burden on many companies where there was little or no threat to the retirement security of their employees or the agency. After careful review, PBGC agreed. PBGC has announced a 4062(e) enforcement pilot program under which it will not enforce in the case of financially strong companies and small plans. PBGC has already issued some no-action letters to financially strong companies.
Premiums. Based on PBGC's regulatory review and in response to public comments, PBGC is developing a proposed rule to change filing deadlines and streamline valuation procedures for the payment of premiums to make PBGC's premium rules more effective and less burdensome, including for small plans (see Small plan premium due date below under Small Businesses). PBGC also proposes to expand premium payment penalty relief3 and implement changes to premium rates resulting from the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act of 2012 (MAP-21) (see Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act below).
Changes to selected multiemployer plan regulations. PBGC has reviewed selected aspects of its regulations on multiemployer plans:
• Termination of Multiemployer Plans (29 CFR part 4041A). When a multiemployer plan terminates, the plan must perform an annual valuation of the plan's assets and benefits. PBGC has reviewed the regulation to determine whether annual valuation requirements may be reduced for certain plans.
• Duties of plan sponsor following mass withdrawal (29 CFR part 4281). Terminated multiemployer plans that determine that they will be insolvent for a plan year must file a series of notices and updates to notices. These notice requirements can be detrimental to plan participants because they may use up assets that would be available to pay plan benefits.
• Mergers and transfers between multiemployer plans (29 CFR part 4231). Multiemployer plans must file certain information with PBGC. Multiemployer plan mergers do not pose any increase in the risk of loss to PBGC or to plan participants. These filing requirements increase administrative costs to PBGC and plans and create an unnecessary burden in completing the merger.
PBGC is developing a proposed rule that would make changes to address these concerns.
PPA 2006 implementation
Cash balance plans. PPA 2006 changed the rules for determining benefits in cash balance plans and other statutory hybrid plans. In October 2011, PBGC published a proposed rule implementing the changes in both PBGC-trusteed plans and in plans that close out in the private sector. This rule is on hold until Treasury issues final regulations.
Missing participants. Currently, PBGC's Missing Participants Program applies only to terminating single-employer defined benefit plans insured by PBGC. PPA 2006 expanded the program to cover single-employer plans sponsored by professional service employers with fewer than 25 employees, multiemployer defined benefit plans, and 401(k) and other defined contribution plans. PBGC is developing a proposed rule to implement the expansion and streamline the existing program.
Shutdown benefits. Under PPA 2006, the phase-in period for the guarantee of a benefit payable solely by reason of an "unpredictable contingent event," such as a plant shutdown, starts no earlier than the date of the shutdown or other unpredictable contingent event. PBGC published a proposed rule implementing this statutory change in March 20114 and received one comment.
DC to DB plan rollovers. PBGC is developing a proposed rule to address title IV treatment of rollovers from defined contribution plans to defined benefit plans, including asset allocation and guarantee limits. This rule is part of PBGC's efforts to enhance retirement security by promoting lifetime income options and follows related Department of Treasury guidance.5
ERISA section 4010. In response to comments, PBGC is reviewing its regulation on Annual Financial and Actuarial Information Reporting (part 4010) and the related e-filing application to consider ways of reducing reporting burden, without forgoing receipt of critical information. PBGC is considering waiving reporting for plans that must file 4010 information solely based on (1) the conditions for a statutory lien resulting from missed required contributions totaling over one million dollars being met, or (2) outstanding funding waivers totaling over one million dollars. Waiving such reporting would reduce the compliance and cost burden on plan sponsors; PBGC can obtain some information similar to that reported under section 4010 from other sources, such as reportable events filings. PBGC is also considering other changes to section 4010 reporting that would further reduce burden for financially sound companies, by taking into account company financial health and targeting reporting more closely to the risk of plan termination; such changes might require legislative action.
Public Law 112-141, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), was signed into law on July 6, 2012. The new law limits the volatility of discount rates for funding single-employer plans (stabilization), increases PBGC premiums for both single-employer and multiemployer plans, and makes certain changes in PBGC governance.
PBGC has issued guidance on the effect of MAP-21 on premiums and 4010 reporting.6 As noted above under Premiums, PBGC is revising its premium regulations to implement changes to premium rates resulting from MAP-21.
PBGC takes into account the special needs and concerns of small businesses in making policy. A large percentage of the plans insured by PBGC are small or maintained by small employers. PBGC in considering several proposed rules that will focus on small businesses:
Small plan premium due date. The premium due date for plans with fewer than 100 participants is four months after year-end (April 30 for calendar year plans). PBGC has heard that some small plans with year-end valuation dates have difficulty meeting the filing deadline because such plans traditionally do not complete their actuarial valuation for funding purposes until after the premium due date. In light of this concern, PBGC has reviewed part 4007 to determine whether changes could be made that would enable small plans to streamline their premium valuation procedures and thereby reduce actuarial fees. Changes related to the small plan premium due date will be included in the proposed rule discussed above under Retrospective Review of Existing Regulations.
Missing participants. See Missing participants under PPA 2006 Implementation above. Expansion of the program will benefit small businesses closing out terminating plans.
Open Government and Public Participation
PBGC views public participation as very important to regulatory development and review. For example, PBGC's current efforts to reduce regulatory burden are in substantial part a response to public comments. Regulatory projects discussed above, such as reportable events, ERISA section 4062(e), and ERISA section 4010, highlight PBGC's customer-focused efforts to reduce regulatory burden.
PBGC's Regulatory Review Plan sets forth ways to expand opportunities for public participation in the regulatory process. For example, PBGC plans to hold public hearings as it develops major regulations, so that the agency has a better understanding of the needs and concerns of plan administrators and plan sponsors.
Further, PBGC plans to provide additional means for public involvement, including on-line town hall meetings, social media, and continuing opportunity for public comment on PBGC's Web site.
PBGC also invites comments on the Regulatory Review Plan on an on-going basis as we engage in the review process. Comments should be sent to regs.comments@pbgc.gov.
PBGC will continue to look for ways to further improve its regulations.
1 74 Fed. Reg. 61248 (Nov. 23, 2009), www.pbgc.gov/Documents/E9-28056.pdf .
2 75 Fed. Reg. 48283 (Aug. 10, 2010), www.pbgc.gov/Documents/2010-19627.pdf .
3 See 76 Fed. Reg. 57082 (Sep. 15, 2011), www.pbgc.gov/Documents/2011-23692.pdf and 77 Fed. Reg. 6675 (Feb. 9, 2012), www.pbgc.gov/Documents/2012-3054.pdf.
4 76 Fed. Reg. 13304 (Mar. 11, 2011), www.pbgc.gov/Documents/2011-5696.pdf.
5 On February 21, 2012, the Internal Revenue Service of the Department of Treasury issued Rev. Rul. 2012-4, which clarified the qualification requirements under section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code for use of rollover amounts to purchase an additional annuity under a defined benefit plan.
6 Technical Update 12-1: Effect of MAP-21 on PBGC Premiums (Aug. 28, 2012). Technical Update 12-2: Effect of MAP-21 on 4010 Reporting (Sept. 11, 2012).