Retirement Equity Act of 1984

enactedUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

2 November 1983

Last action

23 August 1984 · President

Status

Became Public Law No: 98-397.

Summary

Retirement Equity Act of 1983 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code to lower from age 25 to age 21 the age limitation for minimum participation and vesting standards for pension plans. Prohibits certain defined benefit plans from requiring, as a condition for plan participation, that employees complete period of service extending beyond the earlier of age 25 or the vesting expectation date. Lowers from age 22 to age 18 the age limitation for the computation of periods of service. States that years of service may be disregarded when computing periods of service for participation or vesting purposes if breaks in service during such a period amounted to five or more one-year breaks. Treats breaks in service due to pregnancy, birth, or adoption of a child as completed hours of service according to a specified formula. Accords such treatment only in the year of the pregnancy, birth or adoption, and only to participants who would incur a one-year break in service without such treatment. Requires pension plans which provide life annuity benefits to pay such benefits in the form of a qualified joint and survivor annuity. Requires that each pension plan participant have the option of electing, waiving, or revoking the joint and survivor annuity form of benefit. Conditions the efficacy of such election upon: (1) the written consent of a participant's spouse; (2) a written acknowledgement by a participant's spouse of the effect of such election; and (3) an official witnessing of such spousal consent by a plan representative or notary public. Limits such consent to the signatory spouse. Requires pension plans to furnish participants with written explanations of the terms and rights of election regarding joint and survivor annuities. Prohibits joint and survivor annuity payments from being less than the actuarial equivalent of payments made if the annuitant had lived to the earliest date of retirement or had separated from service on the date of death. Requires the surviving spouse's consent for any distribution of nonforfeitable benefits exceeding $3,500. Requires such benefits to be paid according to the surviving spouse's written requests. States that plans subject to funding requirements must provide benefits payable in the form of an annuity. Exempts qualified domestic relations orders from the Act's proscriptions against alienation and assignment of pension plan benefits. Sets procedural guidelines for the payment of such benefits to an alternate payee under such orders. Prohibits alternative payees from receiving any portion of any increase in a participant's accrued benefits if such increases occur after payments to such payees have begun. Declares that alternate payees under domestic relations orders are not considered to be, by virtue of such orders, participants or beneficiaries under the pension plan. Increases from $1,750 to $3,500 the allowable mandatory distribution from a retirement plan. Requires notification to participants that certain benefits may be forfeitable if the participant dies before a certain date. Sets December 31, 1984 as the effective date of this Act for existing plans. Provides transitional dates and certain effective dates for plans maintained under collective bargaining agreements.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

2 November 1983
Introduced
Referred to House Committee on Education and Labor.
Source: IntroReferral
2 November 1983
Introduced
Introduced in House
Source: IntroReferral
2 November 1983
Introduced
Introduced in House
Source: IntroReferral
16 November 1983
Reported
Ordered to be Reported (Amended).
Source: Committee
16 November 1983
Committee
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Source: Committee
27 March 1984
Reported
Ordered to be Reported (Amended).
Source: Committee
27 March 1984
Committee
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Source: Committee
5 April 1984
Reported
Reported to House (Amended) by House Committee on Education and Labor. Report No: 98-655 (Part I).
Source: Committee
5 April 1984
Reported
Reported to House (Amended) by House Committee on Education and Labor. Report No: 98-655 (Part I).
Source: Committee
17 May 1984
Calendars
Placed on Union Calendar No: 457.
Source: Calendars
17 May 1984
Reported
Reported to House (Amended) by House Committee on Ways and Means. Report No: 98-655 (Part II).
Source: Committee
17 May 1984
Reported
Reported to House (Amended) by House Committee on Ways and Means. Report No: 98-655 (Part II).
Source: Committee
22 May 1984
Floor
Called up by House Under Suspension of Rules.
Source: Floor
22 May 1984
Vote
Passed House (Amended) by Yea-Nay Vote: 413 - 0 (Record Vote No: 156).
Source: Floor
22 May 1984
Vote
Passed/agreed to in House: Passed House (Amended) by Yea-Nay Vote: 413 - 0 (Record Vote No: 156).
Source: Floor
31 May 1984
Introduced
Received in the Senate and read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Source: IntroReferral
5 June 1984
Committee
Committee on Finance requested executive comment from OMB, Treasury Department, Health and Human Services Department, Labor Department.
Source: Committee
31 July 1984
Reported
Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Source: Committee
2 August 1984
Calendars
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 1088.
Source: Calendars
2 August 1984
Reported
Committee on Finance. Reported to Senate by Senator Dole with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Source: Committee
2 August 1984
Reported
Committee on Finance. Reported to Senate by Senator Dole with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Source: Committee
6 August 1984
Floor
By Senator Dole from Committee on Finance filed written report. Report No. 98-575.
Source: Floor
6 August 1984
Passed
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
Source: Floor
6 August 1984
Committee
By Senator Dole from Committee on Finance filed written report. Report No. 98-575.
Source: Committee
9 August 1984
Passed
House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
Source: ResolvingDifferences
9 August 1984
Passed
Resolving differences -- House actions: House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
Source: NotUsed
15 August 1984
Floor
Measure Signed in Senate.
Source: Floor
20 August 1984
Floor
Presented to President.
Source: Floor
20 August 1984
President
Presented to President.
Source: President
23 August 1984
Became law
Became Public Law No: 98-397.
Source: President
23 August 1984
Became law
Signed by President.
Source: BecameLaw
23 August 1984
President
Signed by President.
Source: President

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

7 official files

Public Law (PDF)

View file Download file

This file cannot be previewed here. Use View or Download.

Leesvertaling

Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.

Vertaal naar

Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.

Public Law (PDF)
Public Law · EN · 24 August 1984
View Download Open at official source
Passed Senate amended
summary · EN · 6 August 1984
Open at official source
Leesvertaling
Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.
Vertaal naar
Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.
Reported to Senate with amendment(s)
summary · EN · 2 August 1984
Open at official source
Leesvertaling
Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.
Vertaal naar
Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.
Passed House amended
summary · EN · 22 May 1984
Open at official source
Leesvertaling
Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.
Vertaal naar
Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.
Reported to House amended, Part II
summary · EN · 17 May 1984
Open at official source
Leesvertaling
Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.
Vertaal naar
Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.
Reported to House with amendment(s)
summary · EN · 5 April 1984
Open at official source
Leesvertaling
Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.
Vertaal naar
Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.
Introduced in House
summary · EN · 2 November 1983
Open at official source
Leesvertaling
Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.
Vertaal naar
Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.

Related records

related to → Private Pension Reform Act of 1983
related to ← Retirement Equity Act of 1983
related to ← Retirement Equity Act of 1983

Related across the Repo ecosystem

Direct relationships are identifier-backed. Topic context means shared TopicMembership — not a citation and not causation.

Direct relationships

Legal framework · Retirement Equity Act of 1984 · H.R. 4280 (98th) · US

Identifier matchPROJECTS_FROM
Same us record 98-hr-4280 projected from PoliticalRepo US row.
Retirement Equity Act of 1984

Sources

PoliticalRepo is an index and interpretation layer, not the authoritative legal source.

Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/98th-congress/house-bill/4280
Open data entity: https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/98/hr/4280
us · 98-hr-4280 · source updated 21 July 2025