Automatic enrollment in retirement plans - relief from liability - conditions - definitions

(1) (a) (I) An employer that provides automatic enrollment in an employee retirement plan is not liable for the investment decisions made by the employer on behalf of any participating employee with respect to the default investment of contributions made for that employee to the plan if: (A) The plan provides the participating employee at least quarterly opportunities to select investments for the employee's contributions among investment alternatives available under the plan; (B) The participating employee is given notice of the investment decisions that will be made in the absence of direction from the employee, a description of all the investment alternatives available for employee investment direction under the plan, and a brief description of procedures available for the employee to change investments; and (C) The employee is given at least annual notice of the actual default investments made of contributions attributable to the employee. (II) The relief from liability of the employer under this subsection (1) extends to any employee retirement plan official who makes the actual default investment decisions on behalf of participating employees. (b) Nothing in this subsection (1) modifies any existing responsibility of employers or other plan officials for the selection of investment funds for participating employees. (2) As used in this section: (a) "Automatic enrollment" means an employee retirement plan provision under which an employee will have a specified contribution made to the plan, equal to a compensation reduction, that will be made for the employee unless the employee affirmatively elects, in accordance with the federal "Pension Protection Act of 2006", Pub.L. 109-280, either not to have any compensation reduction contributions or a compensation reduction contribution in an alternative amount. (b) "Employee retirement plan" means a plan described in sections 401(k) or 403(b) of the federal "Internal Revenue Code of 1986", as amended; a governmental deferred compensation plan described in section 457 of the federal "Internal Revenue Code of 1986", as amended; or a payroll deduction individual retirement account plan described in sections 408 or 408A of the federal "Internal Revenue Code of 1986", as amended.