The Revenue Acts of 1921 and 1926 allow employers tax deductions for pension contributions, encouraging the growth of employer-sponsored pension plans

The Revenue Act of 1942 introduces stricter participation and disclosure requirements, marking a pivotal step toward greater oversight of pension plans.

The Welfare and Pension Plans Disclosure Act (WPPDA) requires employers to disclose details about the pension plans they provide their employees, giving the Department of Labor a role in overseeing these benefits.

President John F. Kennedy launches the Committee on Corporate Pension Funds to explore, among other issues, how pension plans can better support workforce productivity and mobility.

Congress amends the WPPDA, giving the Department of Labor enforcement power to prevent mismanagement and abuse of employee benefit plan funds.

The Studebaker automobile plant in South Bend, Indiana closes. Thousands of workers are left without their pensions, driving a movement that demands new legislation to protect America's workers.

Sen. Jacob K. Javits (R-NY), who many consider the grandfather of ERISA, introduces legislation to reform pension laws.

NBC airs "Pensions: The Broken Promise," a documentary that exposed abuses in the pension system and drew national attention to the issue.

President Gerald Ford signs ERISA into law, setting the minimum standards for job-based retirement, health, and other welfare benefits.

EBSA (then known as the Pension and Welfare Benefits Program), becomes responsible for administering, regulating, and enforcing ERISA's Title I provisions.

The Retirement Equity Act amends ERISA to address gender inequality in pension benefits by ensuring fair distribution and greater financial security for women in retirement.

The agency — known as the Pension and Welfare Benefits Program — gets a name change.

In January 1986, the agency was upgraded to a sub-cabinet position with the establishment of Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary positions.

President Ronald Reagan signs the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), guaranteeing that workers who lose their jobs can retain their health coverage for a limited time.

Learn more about COBRA continuation coverage.

The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 amends ERISA to mandate civil penalties for certain violations by fiduciaries.

ERISA is amended by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act, and the Mental Health Parity Act to ensure more comprehensive health benefits for workers.

The Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act mandates coverage for breast reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy.

The agency — known as the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA) — gets a name change.

In February 2003, the agency officially became the Employee Benefits Security Administration.

Learn more about EBSA and the work we do today.

President George W. Bush signs the Pension Protection Act to reform funding rules for employer-sponsored and other job-based employee benefit plans, better protect automatic enrollment, and improve participants' access to investment advice.

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) expands on the previous Mental Health Parity law to prevent health plans from imposing barriers on access to mental health and substance use disorder benefits that don't apply to medical and surgical benefits.

Read more about how MHPAEA continues to protect you.

President Barack Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, improving the health of all Americans, providing for health coverage without limits, establishing protections for people with preexisting conditions, mandating coverage for preventive health care, and enhancing the claims and appeals processes for benefit claims.

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act made major changes to retirement plans in 2019. This law's provisions touched on "safe harbor" plans for small businesses, part-time workers' participation in retirement plans, and the age at which to take required distributions.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act require health plans and issuers to cover COVID-19 testing and related services without cost-sharing, expanding access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The No Surprises Act protects patients from unexpected medical bills, establishes a process for resolving patient disputes between health plans and issuers and providers, and brings new transparency provisions so that participants can have more information about their health coverage.

President Joseph R. Biden signs the SECURE 2.0 Act. This law built upon the SECURE Act of 2019 to improve workers' and families' ability to save for their future. The SECURE 2.0 Act brought about automatic enrollment requirements, allowed for pension-linked emergency savings accounts, changed catch-up contribution amounts, and expanded exceptions for early distributions. The law also includes provisions of the Worker Ownership and Readiness and Knowledge (WORK) Act, bringing new responsibilities and opportunities for EBSA in the development of the Employee Ownership Initiative, which is established in 2023.