Congress quietly exempts union pension plans from auto-enrollment rules
H.R. 6685 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish an exception for multiemployer plan participants to the requirements for automatic enrollment. · Filed by Brad Finstad (R-MN) · 17 cosponsors · Introduced Dec 12, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the tax code to exempt multiemployer pension plans from automatic enrollment requirements that apply to most retirement plans. Multiemployer plans (typically union or industry-wide plans covering workers across multiple employers) will no longer be required to automatically enroll eligible employees in the plan, matching an exemption already granted to church plans.
Why we flagged it
The bill reduces regulatory requirements on multiemployer pension plans by carving out an exemption from automatic enrollment mandates. While framed narrowly as a technical amendment, it functionally deregulates plan sponsor obligations.
What the text implies
- Automatic enrollment is a behavioral economics tool proven to increase retirement savings participation; removing it may reduce effective coverage rates among lower-wage workers in multiemployer plans, who are less likely to opt in manually.
- Multiemployer plans cover approximately 10 million workers, primarily in construction, transportation, and other union-heavy industries; this exemption affects a substantial population.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
multiemployer pension plan sponsors; plan administrators; employers participating in multiemployer plans