# 119-hr-2958: Balance the Scales Act

119-hr-2958, Balance the Scales Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Rulli, Michael A. [R-OH-6] (R-OH); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-13).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2958
- As of: 2026-06-13
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2958
- Congress: 119
- Title: Balance the Scales Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-04-17
- Sponsor: Rep. Rulli, Michael A. [R-OH-6] (R-OH)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-13

## Summary

**Would require the Labor Department to sign written agreements and file annual reports whenever it provides "adverse assistance" to plaintiff attorneys in ERISA pension cases.** It would also require giving copies of those agreements to any employer, plan sponsor, or fiduciary that might be directly harmed and to explain how the assistance fits with promoting voluntary pension plan sponsorship. - Employers, plan sponsors, and fiduciaries would get a copy of the written agreement and notice when the Department plans to provide adverse assistance. This gives affected parties advance visibility into the Department's role in litigation. - The Labor Department would face new paperwork and timing rules. It would must submit an initial report actions within 60 days of enactment and then annual reports each December 31 that include redacted agreements, dates, descriptions of information shared, communication logs, and a statement on consistency with voluntary sponsorship policy. - Plaintiff attorneys and potential ERISA plaintiffs would be covered by a formal agreement requirement. Any assistance aimed at attorneys for use in ERISA section 502(a) actions would need a written scope and documentation of information shared. - Existing arrangements would need short compliance steps. If the Secretary completes required actions within 60 days for an existing agreement, those actions are treated as having occurred before further assistance is provided.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. McClain, Lisa C. [R-MI-9] (R-MI), 2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New notice rules for ERISA plans: benefit, low. This bill would require the Secretary of Labor to enter a written agreement before providing any "adverse assistance." The Secretary would also have to give a copy of that agreement to any employer, plan sponsor, or fiduciary who could be directly harmed. The bill would define "adverse assistance"…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-1357: Susan Muffley Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1181: Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act
- 119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-2958 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2958)

## Related
- [119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8870)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-1357: Susan Muffley Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1357)
- [119-hr-1181: Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1181)
- [119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-987)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2958 (as of 2026-06-13).