Young, Heitkamp, Booker, Cotton Introduce Bipartisan Package of Bills to Help Americans Save for Retirement, Boost Economic Security

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) today introduced a bipartisan package of commonsense bills that would help boost retirement security for individuals and families during a time when nearly half of all American families do not have any retirement account savings.

More than one-third of full-time employees do not have access to a workplace retirement plan. On top of that, projections show that 44 percent of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers risk running short of funds for retirement. Additionally, 40 percent of American adults would be unable to come up with $400 for an emergency expense account without borrowing money or selling a possession.

The senators’ bills would make needed reforms to improve retirement security for individuals and families, especially as the costs of health care, education, homeownership, and other expenses have continued to rise, squeezing families financially. The bills would:

• Help workers set up short-term savings accounts to help with financial emergencies;
• Expand access to workplace retirement plans by giving small employers more flexibility when setting up 401Ks for their employees;
• Enable individuals to build emergency savings during tax time by allowing filers to save a portion of their tax refund for “rainy day” or long-term savings; and
• Make it easier for savers to auto enroll into long-term savings plans and more quickly escalate their savings.

Click here for a summary of the bills.

 “Americans work hard day after day with often little promise of economic security in the future,” said Young. “That is why I joined a group of bipartisan colleagues to tackle the growing problem of families not being prepared for retirement. Our bipartisan legislation would strengthen retirement security for hardworking Americans by reforming and improving access to retirement plans. By allowing Hoosiers easier opportunities to save for the days ahead, retirees can enjoy the fruits of their labor and the peace of mind of financial security.”

“Every day, millions of Americans go to their jobs, work hard, and play by the rules to support their families and put food on the table each night,” said Heitkamp. “But far too often, they still struggle to get by each day, as they aren’t able to think about their futures and plan for retirement so that they are taken care of down the road. Our goal is to invest in workers throughout their lives by making sure they are able to save for retirement now so they will be set up for success in later years. That just makes sense. Our work on these bills shows a bipartisan commitment to improving economic security for workers and families, and I hope we can move them forward as they will make a difference for so many Americans who deserve to live with dignity both as workers and retirees.”

“This legislation will help lighten the burden Arkansas small businesses face in offering retirement plans to their employees,” said Cotton. “Making these few simple changes could make a big difference for Arkansas workers and help them retire with financial security and peace of mind.”

“Too many Americans working full time jobs lack adequate savings to meet even small emergency expenses, and find that the retirement they had worked so long and hard for is simply out of reach,” said Booker. “As everyday expenses—from drug prices to childcare to college tuition—continue to rise, these targeted, bipartisan bills are, together, an important step to providing more financial security for working families.”

“We applaud the bipartisan work of these four senators in leading on the critical issue of retirement security,” said former U.S. Senator Kent Conrad and the Honorable James B. Lockhart III, co-chairs of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Commission on Retirement Security and Personal Savings. “These four bills take common sense steps to help more Americans gain access to workplace retirement accounts, save millions more for retirement, and build personal savings for emergencies.”