The ESOP Association
ESOP Association Resources
Mar. 07
The ESOP Association has been informed that the chief of DOL’s Division of Employee Ownership, Hilary Abell, has been reinstated, effective Monday, March 10. TEA is grateful to the Trump Administration for this rapid decision.This key position at the Department of Labor was created with bipartisan and bicameral support by the Worker Ownership, Readiness and Knowledge (WORK) Act to help advance and promote employee ownership. Employee Ownership is a proven way to increase community and retirement wealth while protecting American jobs from outsourcing and foreign ownership.
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Feb. 27
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) today voted to advance Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination for Secretary of Labor to the full Senate. The HELP Committee approved Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination in a bipartisan vote of 13-9, with Democratic Senators Maggie Hassan (NH), John Hickenlooper (CO), and Tim Kaine (VA) voting in favor and Republican Senator Rand Paul (KY) opposed. Her nomination will now advance to the full Senate where a vote could come as soon as next week.
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Feb. 12
President Donald Trump today nominated Daniel Aronowitz, President of Encore Fiduciary and a leading expert with thirty years of experience on fiduciary issues, to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) at the U.S. Department of Labor. If confirmed, Aronowitz would be the lead regulator for ESOPs at the Department of Labor, as EBSA is tasked with administration and enforcement under ERISA.
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Jan. 20
Executive Action Pauses, and May Potentially Withdraw, the Announced Adequate Consideration Rule and Safe Harbor Exemption for ESOPs Washington, D.C. – In one of the first actions of the Trump presidency, the White House has announced a pause on all proposed regulations from the Biden Administration that have yet to be finalized. The moratorium effectively freezes pending Executive Branch agency regulations.
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Jan. 16
On Thursday, January 16th, the U.S. Department of Labor (Department) released two proposed regulations containing rules that, if finalized, would govern ESOP stock acquisitions and sales. The first is the long-anticipated proposed regulation interpreting the definition of “adequate consideration,” the standard that exempts ESOP stock purchase and sale transactions from the prohibited transaction rules in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
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Nov. 26
House Committee on Education & the Workforce discovered DOL secretly sharing confidential information with plaintiffs’ attorneys pursuing class action lawsuits against plan fiduciariesWashington, DC – The ESOP Association today applauded House Committee on Education & the Workforce Chair Virginia Foxx for calling out potential abuse of authority at the Department of Labor (DOL) and its Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and calling for an investigation by the DOL’s Inspector General.
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Oct. 25
The ESOP Association has been informed that a proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Labor regarding what is known as the “adequate consideration exemption” for ESOP transactions has been drafted and is being submitted to OMB imminently.OMB is the agency that “oversees the implementation of the President’s vision across the Executive Branch.” This is the first step taken before a regulation can be made public for a notice and comment period.
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Aug. 02
The Senate Committee on Appropriations has passed several provisions that support employee ownership and ESOPs in the Fiscal 2025 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill. All three provisions were included in the Small Business Administration (SBA) portion of the Appropriations Committee report accompanying the bill text, which provides instruction and direction from Congress to Federal agencies about their budget, goals, and initiatives. The full Committee approved the funding package in a unanimous 27-0 vote.
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Aug. 01
The Senate Committee on Appropriations has directed $2 million to fund the grant program of the Department of Labor’s Employee Ownership Initiative in the Fiscal 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The full Committee approved the funding package on a strongly bipartisan 25-3 vote.
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Jul. 10
The House Committee on Appropriations recently released its report on proposed fiscal year 2025 funding for the Department of Labor, which included two very strong provisions affecting ESOPs.
With respect to ESOP company valuation and the adequate consideration exemption, the Committee noted that the DOL has neglected to provide critical regulatory guidance and asks the Department to prioritize formal rulemaking:
With respect to ESOP company valuation and the adequate consideration exemption, the Committee noted that the DOL has neglected to provide critical regulatory guidance and asks the Department to prioritize formal rulemaking:
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