Bill
HR 6685
Exempts multiemployer plan participants from automatic enrollment rules, reducing mandatory enrollment duties for sponsors and altering enrollment workflows for affected workers.
HR 6685 Summary (Introduced Dec 12, 2025)
Overview
- Bill Number: HR 6685
- Title: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish an exception for multiemployer plan participants to the requirements for automatic enrollment.
- Purpose (stated): Create a specific exception in the Internal Revenue Code for participants in multiemployer plans from the automatic enrollment requirements that otherwise apply to certain benefit plans.
- Status: Introduced in the House and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means on December 12, 2025.
What the bill does (Key provisions)
- Amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to add a targeted exception.
- Scope of exception: Applies specifically to participants in multiemployer defined contribution or defined benefit plans (as applicable under the bill’s language) with respect to automatic enrollment requirements.
- Automatic enrollment: The bill would remove or carve out multiemployer plan participants from mandatory automatic enrollment provisions that currently require plan sponsors to automatically enroll eligible employees in the plan and related payroll deductions, subject to the bill’s precise statutory text.
- Additional details (pending full text): The exact mechanics (e.g., whether the exception triggers at plan inception, during certain employment periods, or under specific types of plans) would be defined in the bill’s statutory language and any accompanying regulations.
Who is affected
- Primary: Employees participating in multiemployer plans that would otherwise be subject to automatic enrollment requirements.
- Plan sponsors and employers: Those administering multiemployer plans or employing workers who would fall under the multiemployer plan framework affected by automatic enrollment rules.
- Plan administrators and payroll systems: May experience changes to enrollment workflows, notice requirements, and payroll deduction processes for the affected participants.
Procedural and timeline aspects
- Current status: Introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means (December 12, 2025).
- Next steps (typical congressional process): Committee deliberation, potential markup, and consideration by the full House; if advanced, possible passage by the House and further action in the Senate, negotiations, and potential enactment into law.
Potential implications and considerations
- Policy impact: Introduces a carve-out that could reduce automatic enrollment obligations for a subset of workers, potentially affecting plan participation rates and associated administrative costs.
- Compliance and administration: Plan sponsors may need to adjust enrollment systems and internal controls to reflect the exemption for multiemployer plan participants.
- Labor/industry impact: Could have differing effects on hiring, wage/benefit comparisons, and retirement-plan engagement for workers covered by multiemployer arrangements.
Notes
- As of introduction, the bill lacks enacted text beyond the general description. The precise definitions (e.g., what constitutes a multiemployer participant, scope of the automatic enrollment provisions being amended) and any related grandfathering or transitional provisions will appear in the full bill text and any committee amendment.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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