Political Quotes

“I rise in support of H.R. 10. but, at the same time, I rise to emphasize that important work still needs to be done, that this is only the beginning, to improve the retirement opportunities of those citizens for whom this bill will have limited benefit at best. For many years, we have attempted to address the issue of pension reform. In doing so, we have learned that this is, in reality, not a simple, single issue, but a set of issues as complex as they are broad. The challenge for us is to determine what aspects of the pension system are most in need of legislative remedy, then to direct our energies toward creating the best solutions. Often we have found that our efforts can lead to competing, contradictory results. I believe that this bill is a worthwhile beginning to addressing the many gaps and shortfalls in pension coverage. I especially commend the section 415 changes, which will alleviate the restrictive rules for our many citizens who are covered by multiemployer plans. However, I think that incentives beyond the expansion of contribution limits are needed to help employees to fund their retirement accounts and to assist small business owners to start pension plans for themselves and their employees. We have an obligation to all Americans to craft legislation that reaches down to everyone in its support of pension income enhancement. The two amendments offered by the Democrats do just that.”