Ron Wyden, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued this statement on Sept. 2 commemorating the 40^th anniversary of ERISA:

"In today's economy, workers are carrying more and more of the load in preparation for retirement.  It's time to update our pension rules to help provide greater economic security in retirement – not less.  As the Finance Committee continues to work on comprehensive tax reform this fall, we will take a close look at pension and retirement rules in the tax code to make improvements wherever they're needed.  Later this month, the committee will hold hearings on retirement security that examine additional steps to help American workers save."

That hearing took place Tuesday. I'm not optimistic that we'll see anything substantive this close to the midterm elections, but I am curious to see what trial balloons get floated. These hearings help shape the debate and frame the issues for future legislation.