The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a set of bills introduced by Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The legislation aims to improve access to quality benefits for American workers and will now move to the House of Representatives for consideration.
The approved bills include the Employee Ownership Representation Act of 2025 (S. 1728), Retire Through Ownership Act (S. 2403), and Uniformed Services Leave Parity Act (S. 1440). These measures were previously advanced by the HELP Committee in July.
“Every American deserves to retire with dignity and security,” said Dr. Cassidy. “By strengthening ESOPs, we empower workers to have a stake in their company and build wealth for themselves and their families.”
The Employee Ownership Representation Act of 2025 would add two new employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) board members to the ERISA Advisory Council, giving representation to those advocating for employee-owned companies.
The Retire Through Ownership Act, led by Senators Marshall and Kaine, seeks to clarify federal law so that ESOPs can provide company shares to employees without concern over unwarranted lawsuits.
Senators Murkowski and Duckworth sponsored the Uniformed Services Leave Parity Act, which addresses disparities in leave benefits for Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers by aligning their leave policies with those available to other uniformed service members.
For further information or updates from HELP Republicans, readers are directed to visit their website or Twitter account at @GOPHELP.
