ERISA Advisory Council to hold open meeting Nov. 4-5

WASHINGTON — A meeting of the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, known as the ERISA Advisory Council, will take place Monday, Nov. 4 from 1 p.m. — 5 p.m. EST. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in room 4 of suite C-5521, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20210. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the meeting will be split into two sessions: the morning session will continue in room 4 of suite C-5521 from 8:30 a.m. — noon EST, and the afternoon session will be held in room S-2508 from 1 p.m. — 4 p.m. EST.

The purpose of the open meeting Nov. 4 and the morning of Nov. 5 is for the council members to finalize the recommendations they will present to the secretary of labor, with votes occurring only on the morning of the fifth. Issues under consideration will include: retirement plan communications, locating missing and lost plan participants, and private sector pension de-risking and participant protections. At the Nov. 5 afternoon session, the council members will receive an update from the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration, Phyllis C. Borzi, and present their recommendations. For more on the topics of the meetings, please visit http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/aboutebsa/erisa_advisory_council.html#2.

Organizations and members of the public wishing to submit a written statement may do so through Monday, Oct. 28 by mailing 30 copies to Larry Good, executive secretary, ERISA Advisory Council, U.S. Department of Labor, Suite N-5623, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20210. Those wishing to submit written statements electronically must submit them to good.larry@dol.gov as an attachment to the email in Microsoft Word or PDF format, not in the body of an email. Personally identifiable information (such as a name, address or other contact information) and confidential business information should not be included, as it will be publicly disclosed. Statements deemed relevant by the council will be included in the record of the meeting and made available in the Employee Benefits Security Administration's Public Disclosure Room at the Labor Department.

Individuals and representatives of organizations wishing to address the council should also submit their requests to the executive secretary using the same information above or by calling 202-693-8668. Oral presentations will be limited to 10 minutes, time permitting, but an extended written statement may be submitted for the record.

Those with disabilities who need special accommodations should contact the executive secretary by Oct. 28.

Section 512 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act provides for the establishment of the ERISA Advisory Council, which advises the secretary of labor and submits recommendations regarding the secretary's functions under ERISA. More information about the council and the topics to be discussed at the meeting are available at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/aboutebsa/erisa_advisory_council.html.