Senators Release Final Text of EARN Act Retirement Bill

What You Need to Know

The bill will be part of the Senate’s Secure 2.0 package, which must be reconciled with the House version.
The RMD age would be raised to 75 from 72.
The bill would also allow emergency retirement plan withdrawals without penalty.

In the Senate Finance Committee, Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, introduced late Thursday the final text of the bipartisan Enhancing American Retirement Now (EARN) Act, which passed the committee in June.

The final text includes the amendments the committee approved as well as technical corrections that may have been needed.

Senate Finance’s EARN Act and the Retirement Improvement and Savings Enhancement to Supplement Healthy Investments for the Nest Egg, or Rise & Shine, Act, which passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee by voice vote on June 14, “will become the baseline text for the Senate to negotiate a final Secure 2.0 bill with the House between now and the end of the year,” said Dan Zelinski, spokesman for the Insured Retirement Institute in Washington.

Wyden said Thursday in a statement that the EARN Act “includes policies put forward by members on both sides of the aisle, and I appreciate the collaboration of Senator Crapo every step of the way. I look forward to working with Senator Crapo and our counterparts in the House to get the EARN Act signed into law.”

The EARN Act encourages small businesses to adopt retirement plans, makes it easier for part-time workers to participate in retirement plans, and expands the saver’s credit for low- and middle-income workers.