# 119-s-2003: Strengthening Benefit Plans Act of 2025

119-s-2003, Strengthening Benefit Plans Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC] (R-SC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2003
- As of: 2025-12-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2003
- Congress: 119
- Title: Strengthening Benefit Plans Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-06-10
- Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC] (R-SC)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Taxation
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2025-12-21

## Summary

**Repurposing surplus pension and retiree health assets** to let employers move excess funds into active employee benefits or into retirement savings, while adding vesting, notice, and anti-cutback protections. This bill would create two new transfer paths with conditions to protect participants and keep plans qualified. - Retiree health accounts: Plans could transfer excess retiree-health assets to the pension plan or to a Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association. Transfers are allowed only when assets exceed 125% of liabilities and must meet use, funding, and vesting tests and occur no more than once per year. - Active employees and savers: Surplus defined benefit assets could move into defined contribution plans when assets exceed 110% of pension liabilities and the receiving plan would be a qualified replacement. All benefits under the defined benefit plan become nonforfeitable as if the plan had terminated and the replacement plan may not reduce benefits for five years. - Employers and plan governance: Transfers are not treated as employer reversions or taxable income, are coordinated with ERISA funding rules, and require participant notice at least 60 days before retiree-health transfers and similar notices for pension transfers.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS), 2025-06-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Move extra retiree health money: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would let an employer move "excess health assets" from a retiree health account into the employer's pension plan or to a voluntary employees' beneficiary association (VEBA). "Excess" means assets above 125% of the plan's liability, with some post‑2023 contributions and liabilit…
- Move pension surplus into 401(k)-style: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would let an employer transfer "surplus assets" from a defined benefit pension into a defined contribution plan that would be a qualified replacement plan but for the DB plan not ending. "Surplus" means assets above 110% of the Title IV liability measure for the plan year. All…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-s-2511: College Transparency Act
- 119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2025
- 119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

## Sources
- [119-s-2003 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2003)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [119-s-2511: College Transparency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2511)
- [119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-186)
- [119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-6)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2003 (as of 2025-12-21).