
On March 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a notice of a proposed rule to establish guidelines for 401(k) plan managers considering investments in alternative assets. The proposed rule would establish guidelines for plan fiduciaries that create safe harbors under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) when evaluating and investing…

On Jan. 8, 2026, the U.S. The Department of Labor (DOL) released a memorandum indicating that states could not provide unemployment insurance benefits to striking workers unless they were actively seeking work. Four states — all with Democratic trifectas — have laws that provide unemployment insurance for some striking workers. In 2025, governors in two…

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled July 18 that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas must rehear the Republican attorneys general lawsuit opposing the Department of Labor’s 2022 rule allowing the use of ESG in ERISA-governed pension plans. The Fifth Circuit said the lower court needed to…

The House Appropriations Committee passed a fiscal year 2025 labor budget bill on July 10 that proposed prohibiting the Department of Labor from implementing its rule allowing ESG considerations in Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)-governed retirement plans. Ballotpedia tracks support for and opposition to the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing movement. To…