IRS and DOL Publish Regulatory Agenda: 

On May 22, the IRS and DOL published their respective regulatory agendas for spring of 2019. Pending IRS guidance related to employee benefit plans includes the following areas (although inquisitive folks may wish to review other areas included on the IRS’s list for pure entertainment value, such as the “Proposal to Allow for the Use of Molasses in Wine”):

• Affiliated service groups;
• Deferred compensation plans of state and local governments and tax-exempt entities;
• Pension plan funding and benefit restrictions;
• IRAs (including Roth IRAs);
• Employee stock ownership plans;
• Minimum vesting standards;
• Withholding on certain retirement plan distributions;
• Church plans; and
• Required minimum distributions.

Here is a link to the full IRS list:  https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaMain?operation=OPERATION_GET_AGENCY_RULE_LIST&currentPub=true&agencyCode=&showStage=active&agencyCd=1500&Image58.x=58&Image58.y=10

Pending DOL guidance related to employee benefit plans includes the following areas:

• Who is and who is not a “fiduciary” under ERISA as a result of providing investment advice for a fee or other compensation;
• Abandoned plans;
• Electronic filing of “top hat plan” statements (the DOL published final regulations on June 14, 2019);
• A restatement of the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program; and
• Multiple employer plans.

You can access the DOL’s full list here: 
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaMain?operation=OPERATION_GET_AGENCY_RULE_LIST&currentPub=true&agencyCode=&showStage=active&agencyCd=1200&Image58.x=41&Image58.y=15
 
Future editions of The Speed Reader will provide details regarding certain items on those lists if they become law.