Workforce Bulletin

On March 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) proposed a new rule offering a safe harbor for fiduciaries under ERISA in connection with selecting designated investment alternatives for participant-directed defined contribution plans, such as 401(k) plans  (the “Proposed Rule”). The Proposed Rule implements Section 3(c) of President Trump’s Executive Order 143300, Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors (such executive order, “EO 14330” was discussed in detail in a prior Epstein Becker Green Blog linked here).

On June 18, 2025, in the case of United States v. Skrmetti, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, concluding that the law (titled Prohibition on Medical Procedures Performed on Minors Related to Sexual Identity, Senate Bill 1 (SB1)) does not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

In a 6-3 opinion authored by Chief Justice Roberts, the Court affirmed the decision from the 6^th Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that under the rational basis review, SB1 does not discriminate on the basis of sex for purposes of equal protection. Employers should be aware of certain considerations following this decision.