Daily Yopp! 2.21.17 - Protect State Retirement Plans

Call Your MoCs and Demand They Protect State Retirement Plans

This is the sort of legislation that sneaks through while our attention is directed elsewhere. Be sure your representative in the House knows you are paying attention to his/her votes, and let your Senator know that you want a No vote when it hits the Senate.

Check on how your Representative voted. If she/he voted YES, then let him/her know that you are disappointed. If NO, then thank him/her for the vote. If you want to put the staffer on the spot, you could ask the staffer if they know how the Rep voted and then work from there.

Here's how that could work:

Caller: Good morning/afternoon! Can you let me know how the Congressperson voted on H.J.Res. 66, the Congressional Review Act resolution that would rescind the Labor Department’s rule on state retirement plans?

OPTION 1: STAFFER DOESN'T KNOW

Caller: I'm disappointed to hear that you haven't been informed. According to the House website, she/he voted [YES/NO]

Move on to YES or NO script indicated below. You'll have to adjust it a bit since the vote has occurred.

Next, call your Senators and use the script provided by the folks at the Invisible Guide.

Republicans in Congress are ramming through fast-tracked legislation (H.J. Res. 66) that would block states like California, Oregon, Maryland, Illinois, and Connecticut from helping their citizens save money for retirement. The Department of Labor issued a legal ruling last year giving states the OK to provide a new savings option to workers who are not offered a 401(k) or other retirement plan at their job. Given how unprepared most Americans are for retirement, this made perfect sense -- workers should have more opportunities to save and retire with dignity, not fewer. But Republicans disagree -- in order to keep their Wall Street benefactors fat, happy, and shielded from competition, they are pushing legislation that would rescind the Labor Department regulation. The legislation has passed the House and will likely be considered in the Senate shortly. 

SAMPLE DIALOG 

Caller: Good morning/afternoon! Can you let me know the Senator's position on H.J.Res. 66, the Congressional Review Act resolution that would rescind the Labor Department’s rule on state retirement plans? 

OPTION 1: OPPOSES THE RESOLUTION [MEANING THEY SUPPORT THE STATE RETIREMENT PLANS]

Staffer: Thank you for calling! Senator/Representative Bob opposes the resolution.

Caller: That’s great! I’m calling to say that if Senator ____________ truly believes, as I do, that there is a retirement savings crisis, then [he/she] should do everything [he/she] can to stop Congress and the Trump Administration from blocking state retirement plans. This means making public statements standing with the millions of Americans poised to benefit from these state programs and calling out the Wall Street special interests that are trying to shield themselves from competition.

I’m happy to hear the Senator opposes H.J.Res. 66. Will [he/she] commit to voting against this resolution if it comes up for a vote?
 
OPTION 2: SUPPORTS THE RESOLUTION [MEANING THEY OPPOSE THE STATE RETIREMENT PLANS]

Staffer: Thank you for calling! Senator ___________ supports the resolution.

Caller: That’s terrible. What that means is Senator ___________ is choosing to enrich Wall Street special interests over [his/her] hard-working constituents trying to save for retirement. States should have the right to help their OWN citizens save their OWN money for retirement. The alternative is more seniors living in poverty and relying on public assistance. There is a retirement crisis in America: nearly one-half of all private sector workers are not offered a retirement plan at work. We need to make sure that anyone who wants to save for his or her retirement can do so. These state programs would expand access to retirement plans so that the millions of hard-working Americans currently left behind can start saving. Why would Senator __________ want to block these state plans?

Staffer: But the Labor Department rule exempts state retirement plans from important consumer protections and would create an unworkable patchwork system, with each state having their own plan.

Caller: That’s wrong. The rule simply clarifies that employers who enroll their workers in the state’s retirement plan will not face any administrative or legal burden. The state itself is taking on those responsibilities since small business owners should be able to focus exclusively on running their business without sacrificing their workers’ retirement security. Each state has the right to set up its own plan if it so chooses. Would Senator _________ prefer that the federal government block states from making their own decisions, leaving millions of Americans left without a way to save for retirement?
 
OPTION 3: DODGES / HAS NO POSITION

Staffer: Thank you for calling! I don’t know about state retirement plans or H.J.Res. 66, but I’m happy to take down your concerns.

Caller: That’s disappointing to hear--this is a very important issue for millions of Americans, myself included. By trying to block state retirement plans, Congress is choosing to enrich Wall Street special interests over Senator _________'s hard-working constituents trying to save for retirement. States should have the right to help their OWN citizens save their OWN money for retirement. The alternative is more seniors living in poverty and relying on public assistance. There is a retirement crisis in America. Did you know that nearly one-half of all private sector workers are not offered a retirement plan at work?

Staffer: I didn’t know that but I’m happy to take down your concerns.

Caller: Here’s my concern: We need to make sure that anyone who wants to save for his or her retirement can do so. These state programs would expand access to retirement plans so that the millions of hard-working Americans currently left behind can start saving. I expect [Senator/Representative] Bob will represent [his/her] constituents, like me, and not Wall Street. I expect [Senator/Representative] Bob to oppose H.J.Res. 66.

Will Senator _________ vote against this attempt to block state retirement plans?

Staffer: I will certainly pass on your concerns to the Senator/Representative.

Caller: Please do, and please take down my contact information to let me know when the Senator has made up his mind. I’m eager to hear what [he/she] decides.

For more details, here is the text and other details about the bill. It was sponsored by Tim Walberg of Michigan.

So again, today's Yopp! is for you to call your MoCs about HR Res 66.