News / Events
Markley Actuarial Meets with Congressman Pitts on Pension Funding Reform
Lancaster, PA - July 14, 2009 - Today's economic impact on businesses is being felt in every aspect of life. Even as we begin to see signs of change, some companies looking to move forward have an added hurdle of funding their pension plan. In many cases, contribution requirements have increased and some have more than doubled. Markley Actuarial, concerned with the effect these mandatory contributions could have on businesses and the creation of economic growth, recently invited Congressman Joe Pitts (PA-16) to join them in a discussion with clients regarding options for relief.
Congressman Pitts joined John Markley, founding partner of Markley Actuarial, and Lisa Pfautz, an Enrolled Actuary and pension plan specialist, and two Markley Actuarial clients, Lancaster Newspapers and Lancaster General Health, to discuss opportunities for companies to keep their pension promise to their employees, stay in business, and weather this financial storm. During conversations, Markley provided background on upcoming bill H.R 2989 which was recently released to the House. Presented by Honorable George Miller (D-CA), H.R. 2989 makes modest adjustments to pension funding requirements for both single employer and multi-employer plans. According to Miller, existing funding requirements put a strain on many traditional defined benefit pension plans, and H.R. 2989 calls for relief so plan sponsors do not have to choose between making forced contributions, freezing plans or cutting jobs.
Neither Markley Actuarial nor H.R. 2989 is looking to the government to assist or eliminate responsibility. The hope is companies will be given much needed time to plan for the increase in costs and make the necessary adjustment to get their funds in order. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22% of U.S. private industry workers in 2008 had access to a traditional pension plan.
President Bush signed the Pension Protection Act in 2006 (PPA) to ensure businesses were adequately contributing to their pension plans, thus upholding their promise of benefits to employees upon retirement. Effective in 2008, PPA requires companies to fully fund their plans within seven years, which is more quickly than under past rules. The combination of the new law and 2008 investment losses put a significant strain on already struggling businesses. In some cases, annual required contributions would have more than doubled. Although relief was received that helped many plans for 2009, further relief will be needed for 2010 if asset values do not improve.
"Our goal for this meeting was met by sitting down and discussing our clients' concerns with Congressman Pitts. We believe it is vital that Markley Actuarial take an active role by staying aware of laws that impact our clients as well as acting as advocates on their behalf," explained Pfautz.
Located in Lancaster City and established in 1985, Markley Actuarial is an independent, client-centric, trusted advisor for aligning retirement programs to a client's specific set of goals and objectives. The firm provides innovative retirement solutions, maximizes plan opportunities, and monitors legislative compliance.