Multiemployer Pension Plan Information Made Available on Request, 9334-9343 [2010-4097]

Agencies

• Employee Benefits Security Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 2, 2010)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 9334-9343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4097]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employee Benefits Security Administration

29 CFR Part 2520

RIN 1210-AB21


Multiemployer Pension Plan Information Made Available on Request

AGENCY: Employee Benefits Security Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This document contains a final rule implementing section 
101(k) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as 
amended by the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Section 101(k) requires 
the administrator of a multiemployer plan to provide copies of certain 
actuarial and financial documents about the plan to participants, 
beneficiaries, employee representatives and contributing employers upon 
request. The final rule affects plan administrators, participants and 
beneficiaries and contributing employers of multiemployer plans.

DATES: This final rule is effective on April 1, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: June Solonsky or Stephanie L. Ward, 
Office of Regulations and Interpretations, Employee Benefits Security 
Administration, (202) 693-8500. This is not a toll-free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background

    Section 101(k) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act

[[Page 9335]]

(ERISA), 29 U.S.C. 1021(k), added by section 502(a)(1) of the Pension 
Protection Act of 2006 (PPA),\1\ provides that the administrator of a 
multiemployer pension plan, upon written request, shall furnish copies 
of certain actuarial and financial documents to any plan participant, 
beneficiary, employee representative, or any employer that has an 
obligation to contribute to the plan. The documents that are required 
to be furnished are: (A) A copy of any periodic actuarial report 
(including sensitivity testing) received by the plan for any plan year 
which has been in the plan's possession for at least 30 days; (B) a 
copy of any quarterly, semi-annual, or annual financial report prepared 
for the plan by any plan investment manager or advisor or other 
fiduciary which has been in the plan's possession for at least 30 days; 
and (C) a copy of any application filed with the Secretary of the 
Treasury requesting an extension under section 304 of the Act (or 
section 431(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) and the 
determination of such Secretary pursuant to such application.
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    \1\ Pub. L. 109-280, 120 Stat. 780.
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    Section 502(a)(2) of the PPA amended section 502(c)(4) of ERISA to 
provide that the Secretary of Labor may assess a civil penalty of not 
more than $1,000 a day for each violation of section 101(k).\2\ Section 
502(d) of the PPA provides that section 101(k) shall apply to plan 
years beginning after December 31, 2007.
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    \2\ On January 2, 2009, the Department published in the Federal 
Register a final rule, effective March 3, 2009, that establishes 
procedures relating to the assessment of civil penalties by the 
Department under section 502(c)(4) of ERISA. See 74 FR 17.
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    On September 14, 2007, the Department published in the Federal 
Register a proposed rule under section 101(k) of ERISA and invited 
interested parties to comment.\3\ The Department received four written 
comments on the proposal. Copies of these comments are posted on the 
Department's Web site at https://www.dol.gov/ebsa. After careful 
consideration of the issues raised by the written comments, the 
Department is adopting the final rule contained herein. While the 
Department has made some clarifying changes to both the structure and 
provisions of the rule, the final rule, described below, is 
substantially the same as the proposal.
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    \3\ 72 FR 52527.
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B. Overview of Final Rule and Comments

1. General Sec.  2520.101-6(a)

    Paragraph (a) of the final rule, like the proposal, sets forth the 
general requirement under section 101(k) that the administrator of a 
multiemployer pension plan furnish copies of certain actuarial and 
financial documents. These documents must be furnished in accordance 
with paragraph (b) of the regulation. The specific documents required 
to be furnished are described in paragraph (c) of the final rule. A new 
paragraph (d) has been added to the final rule for purposes of 
consolidating and clarifying exceptions to and limitations on an 
administrator's obligation to furnish requested documents. Paragraph 
(e) describes the persons entitled to request documents for purposes of 
section 101(k).

2. Obligation To Furnish Sec.  2520.101-6(b)

    Paragraph (b) of the final rule is substantially the same as the 
proposal. Paragraph (b)(1) requires that, except as provided in 
paragraph (d), requested documents must be furnished not later than 30 
days after receipt of the written request.
    Paragraph (b)(2) of the final rule focuses on delivery and requires 
requested documents to be furnished in accordance with the delivery 
requirements of 29 CFR 2520.104b-1, including paragraph (c) relating to 
the use of electronic delivery.
    Paragraph (b)(3) of the proposal addressed the limitation on a 
requester's ability to request the same document more than once in any 
12-month period. As part of the consolidation mentioned above, this 
limitation now appears in paragraph (d)(1) of the final rule and is 
discussed in connection with that paragraph.
    Paragraph (b)(3) of the final rule addresses the ability of a plan 
administrator to impose reasonable charges to cover the cost of 
furnishing the requested documents. The PPA specifically authorized the 
imposition of reasonable charges for the furnishing of documents 
pursuant to section 101(k). For this purpose, the Department proposed 
(see paragraph (b)(4) of the proposal) that a reasonable charge may not 
exceed the lesser of the actual cost to the plan for the least 
expensive means of acceptable reproduction of the document, or 25 cents 
per page, plus the cost of mailing or otherwise delivering the 
requested document. This standard adopts the existing reasonable charge 
standard under 29 CFR 2520.104b-30 but also permits the plan 
administrator to charge the requester the actual cost to the plan of 
mailing or delivering the requested document. One commenter suggested 
that the 25 cents per page portion of the reasonable charge standard 
should be lowered due to advances in reproduction technology. The 
commenter suggested a maximum of 10 cents per page for black and white 
reproductions. Although the Department recognizes that advances in 
document copying may reduce costs in many cases, the Department has not 
adopted this suggestion because it lacks sufficient information at this 
time to prescribe an alternative maximum charge. The Department notes, 
however, that under the rule as adopted plans may never charge more 
than the actual cost of the least expensive method of reproduction used 
by the plan. Therefore, as plans adopt more efficient, less costly 
reproduction methods, the amounts charged to participants, 
beneficiaries and others will be reduced accordingly.

3. Documents To Be Furnished Sec.  2520.101-6(c)

    Paragraph (c) of the final rule, like the proposal, describes the 
documents that must be furnished pursuant to section 101(k).
    Paragraph (c)(1)(i) of the proposal provided for the disclosure of 
any periodic actuarial report (including sensitivity testing) received 
by the plan for any plan year which has been in the plan's possession 
for at least 30 days prior to the date of the written request. Two 
commenters requested clarification of this provision. One commenter 
requested that the final regulation limit disclosure under paragraph 
(c)(1)(i) to reports that actuaries produce at regularly scheduled, 
recurring intervals, such as reports in connection with annual 
valuations. The other commenter, however, was concerned that such a 
limitation could exclude relevant sensitivity testing not provided 
routinely or in regular cycles. In response to these comments, the 
Department has included language in the final regulation, at paragraph 
(c)(1), that limits and clarifies the disclosure obligations with 
respect to actuarial reports.
    As modified, paragraph (c)(1) provides that the term ``periodic 
actuarial report'' means any actuarial reports prepared by an actuary 
of the plan and received by the plan at regularly scheduled, recurring 
intervals. A plan administrator, therefore, would be required pursuant 
to this provision to disclose copies of any actuarial report prepared 
in connection with the annual valuation or pursuant to the requirements 
of section 305 of ERISA. The final regulation also makes clear that the 
term ``periodic actuarial report'' includes studies, tests (including 
sensitivity tests), documents, analyses or other information (whether 
or not

[[Page 9336]]

called a ``report'') received by the plan from an actuary of the plan 
that depict alternative funding scenarios based on a range of 
alternative actuarial assumptions, whether or not received by the plan 
at regularly scheduled, recurring intervals. Thus, under this 
provision, a plan administrator would be required to disclose any 
sensitivity testing that the plan may request occasionally, such as in 
response to a certification of critical or endangered status.
    The limitation that only those periodic actuarial reports in the 
plan's possession for at least 30 days are required to be disclosed is 
included in paragraph (d) of the final rule addressing limitations and 
exceptions.
    Paragraph (c)(1)(ii) of the proposal provided that a document 
subject to disclosure includes a copy of any quarterly, semi-annual, or 
annual financial report prepared for the plan by any plan investment 
manager or advisor (without regard to whether such advisor is a 
fiduciary within the meaning of section 3(21) of the Act) or other 
fiduciary which has been in the plan's possession for at least 30 days 
before the plan receives the written request. The parenthetical 
language ``without regard to whether such advisor is a fiduciary within 
the meaning of section 3(21) of the Act'' clarifies for plan 
administrators that financial reports subject to disclosure include 
those prepared by investment advisors regardless of such advisors' 
ERISA fiduciary status.
    The Department requested comment on whether, in addition to the 
above clarification, a financial report made available for disclosure 
under section 101(k) should be further defined. The Department received 
one comment in response. The commenter expressed concern that the 
definition of financial report in the proposal could result in overly 
burdensome requests because the proposed language could be read to 
require disclosure of every document prepared for a board of trustees 
meeting by any outside professional or internal fiduciary, so long as 
the document has any financial aspect to it. Therefore, the commenter 
recommended limiting the scope of disclosure only to investment-related 
reports (e.g., investment manager reports, investment advisor reports, 
and investment consultant reports) and fund auditor reports received by 
the plan annually, semi-annually or quarterly. While the Department 
believes that investment-related reports are a primary object of the 
new disclosure requirement, the statutory language does not limit the 
type of quarterly, semi-annual or annual financial reports subject to 
this new disclosure to only those that are investment-related. The 
Department, therefore, is adopting this provision without change. See 
paragraph (c)(2) of Sec.  2520.101-6.
    The limitation that only those financial reports in the plan's 
possession for at least 30 days are required to be disclosed is 
included in paragraph (d) of the final rule addressing limitations and 
exceptions.
    Paragraph (c)(1)(iii) of the proposal required the disclosure of 
applications filed with the Secretary of the Treasury requesting an 
extension under section 304 of this Act or section 431(d) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the determination of such Secretary 
pursuant to such application. There were no comments on this provision. 
Accordingly, the provision is being adopted without change. See 
paragraph (c)(3) of Sec.  2520.101-6.
    Paragraph (c)(2) of the proposal described the extent to which 
underlying data, individually identifiable information and proprietary 
information is not required to be disclosed for purposes of section 
101(k). These provisions are set forth in paragraph (d), discussed 
below, describing limitations and exceptions.

4. Limitations and Exceptions Sec.  2520.101-6(d)

    Paragraph (d) of the final regulation consolidates the limitations 
and exceptions applicable to the disclosure requirements under section 
101(k). In general, paragraph (d) describes the reports, applications 
and information that are not subject to disclosure under section 
101(k). For purposes of paragraph (d) of the final rule, the word 
``application'' should be read as including any determination by the 
Secretary of the Treasury on such application.
(a) 12-Month Limit
    Paragraph (d)(1) addresses the 12-month limit on requests. As 
proposed, the limitation made clear that a plan administrator is not 
required to furnish to any requester more than one copy of a document 
during any 12-month period. One commenter argued that tracking the 12-
month period on a request-by-request basis may be unnecessarily 
burdensome and suggested, instead, that plans have the flexibility to 
choose static or fixed periods, such as plan or calendar years. The 
Department has not adopted this suggestion. The Department, however, 
has clarified the operative language of the regulation as it relates to 
the timing of the 12-month period. Pursuant to paragraph (d)(1) of the 
final rule, a plan administrator is not required to furnish any report 
or application that has been furnished to the requester within the 12-
month period immediately preceding the date on which the request was 
received by the plan. As noted in the preamble to the proposal, there 
is no requirement that a plan impose such a limitation on requests. 
Accordingly, plans are free to limit the costs and administrative 
burdens attendant to tracking document request periods simply by not 
imposing the limitation on requesters.
(b) Aged Documents
    Paragraph (d)(2) of the final regulation deals with aged documents. 
The Department received two comments suggesting that the regulation 
limit a plan administrator's obligation to furnish copies of outdated 
reports. One commenter expressed concern that the proposal did not 
limit in any way requests for documents dating back indefinitely and 
that such requests could create severe administrative burdens on plan 
administrators who might, for example, be required to search for 
documents from decades past. A second commenter suggested that 
financial reports become less useful to requesters as newer versions of 
these reports become available and, therefore, a plan administrator's 
obligation to furnish aged documents need not extend indefinitely into 
the past. Both commenters suggested a maximum period approximating the 
period applicable to records required to be kept under the record 
retention requirements in section 107 of ERISA. The Department agrees 
that the obligations of an administrator should not be unlimited with 
respect to aged documents. The Department also agrees that limiting an 
administrator's obligation in a manner consistent with the six-year 
record retention requirement of section 107 would preserve the right of 
requesters to request and obtain relevant documents without imposing 
undue burdens on plan administrators. The Department, therefore, has 
modified the regulation to exclude from the documents required to be 
furnished under section 101(k) those reports and applications that have 
been in the plan's possession for 6 years or more as of the date on 
which the request was received by the plan. See paragraph (d)(2) of 
Sec.  2520.101-6.
(c) 30-Day Exception
    Paragraph (d)(3) of the final rule addresses the disclosure 
exception applicable to those reports that have not been in the 
possession of the plan for at least 30 days. One commenter on the 
proposed regulation requested

[[Page 9337]]

clarification of a plan administrator's obligation to furnish a 
requested report within 30 days from the request when the plan has not 
had possession of the report for 30 days at the time of the request. 
Paragraph (b)(1) of the proposal provided that a report must be 
furnished not later than 30 days after the date the written request is 
received by the plan. However, paragraph (c)(1) of the proposal 
provided that a report is not required to be disclosed until it has 
been in the plan's possession for at least 30 days prior to the date of 
a written request. The Department addresses this issue in paragraph 
(d)(3) of the final rule by providing an exception to the otherwise 
applicable disclosure rule for any reports that, as of the date a 
request is received by the plan, has not been in the plan's possession 
for at least 30 days. However, because requesting parties may not know 
about this limitation on their right to receive reports, the final rule 
also provides that, in connection with the exercise of this limitation, 
the plan administrator must furnish a timely notice--not later than 30 
days after the date on which the request was received by the plan--
informing the requester of the existence of the report and the earliest 
date on which the report can be furnished by the plan. With such 
information, requesting parties are in a position to determine whether 
and when to further pursue their request, while at the same time not 
requiring plans to prematurely disclose the requested report(s).
(d) Underlying Information and Data Exception
    Paragraph (d)(4) addresses the disclosure exception for information 
and data underlying reports and applications required to be disclosed. 
One commenter questioned whether this limitation, as set forth in 
paragraph (c)(2)(i) of the proposal, is consistent with the 
requirements of section 101(k). The commenter also requested 
clarification of the scope of the limitation. It is the view of the 
Department that in enacting section 101(k), Congress was sufficiently 
specific in its reference to documents subject to the disclosure 
requirements to conclude that it did not intend to include within the 
scope of required disclosure all information and data used to develop 
or support the identified documents. The Department, therefore, has 
retained the exception in the final rule as proposed.\4\ By way of an 
example in applying the final rule, while a plan's annual valuation 
report typically would be required to be disclosed under paragraph 
(c)(1) of the final rule, the plan's asset statement or documents 
consisting of participant census data used to create that report would 
be subject to the limitation in paragraph (d)(4) of the final rule.
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    \4\ The Department further notes that section 101(k) of ERISA 
and section 502(a)(3) of the PPA expressly grant the Department the 
authority to prescribe regulations under section 101(k). In 
addition, the Department has broad rulemaking authority under 
section 505 of ERISA to prescribe regulations necessary or 
appropriate to carry out the provisions of title I of ERISA. It is 
the view of the Department that the provisions of the final rule are 
consistent with the foregoing authority. The Department also notes 
that nothing in the limitation under paragraph (d)(4) of the final 
regulation shall limit any other right that a person may have to 
review or obtain such underlying information.
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(e) Individually Identifiable and Proprietary Information Exception
    Paragraph (d)(5) of the final rule addresses the disclosure 
exception relating to individually identifiable information and 
proprietary information.
    The proposal provided, in paragraph (c)(2)(ii)(A), that disclosed 
reports or applications shall not include any information that the plan 
administrator reasonably determines to be individually identifiable 
information regarding any plan participant, beneficiary, employee, 
fiduciary, or contributing employer. One commenter was concerned that 
this provision might be construed as prohibiting identification of the 
investment manager or advisor who prepared a financial report or whose 
performance is under review in a report. Following the publication of 
the proposed regulation, Congress amended section 101(k) in the Worker, 
Retiree and Employer Recovery Act of 2008 \5\ to provide that the 
exception for individually identifiable information does not apply to 
an investment manager or adviser or to any other person (other than an 
employee of the plan) preparing a financial report described in section 
101(k)(1)(B). The Department has conformed the final rule to this 
amendment. See paragraph (d)(5)(i) of Sec.  2520.101-6.
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    \5\ Public Law 110-458, section 105(b)(1), 122 Stat. 5092, 5104.
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    Paragraph (c)(2)(ii)(B) of the proposed regulation, consistent with 
ERISA section 101(k)(2)(C)(ii), provided that disclosed reports or 
applications shall not include any information that the plan 
administrator reasonably determines to be proprietary information 
regarding the plan, any contributing employer, or entity providing 
services to the plan. Neither the statute nor the proposal defined the 
term ``proprietary information,'' but the proposal specifically 
requested comment on whether clarification is needed with respect to 
determinations regarding what information should be considered 
proprietary in this context and, if so, what standards should govern 
such determinations.
    One commenter expressed concern that the proposal granted too much 
discretion to plan administrators in determining what information the 
plan must disclose, particularly with respect to proprietary 
information regarding the plan (as opposed to proprietary information 
of contributing employers or entities providing services to the plan). 
The commenter recommended that the final regulation specifically define 
what information may be considered proprietary information and, with 
respect to proprietary information regarding the plan, no information 
should be considered proprietary unless its dissemination would be 
significantly adverse to the operation of the plan. Another commenter 
was generally supportive of the approach taken in the proposal, but 
suggested that the final regulation should have a special ``safe 
harbor'' rule on proprietary information regarding entities providing 
services to the plan. Such a rule, according to the commenter, would 
preclude plan administrators from disclosing any information that a 
service provider considers to be proprietary in nature, taking into 
account state laws and other standards and precedents applicable to the 
service provider.
    After careful consideration of the issues raised by the commenters, 
the Department has modified paragraph (d)(5) of the final rule to 
clarify the proprietary information exception. Like the proposal, the 
plan administrator is responsible for deciding what information is 
proprietary in nature. In this regard, a plan administrator may not 
redact information unless he or she reasonably determines that it is 
proprietary. The Department believes that use of the proprietary 
information exception from the disclosure requirements of section 
101(k) will be rare.
    In an effort to clarify the exception, the final rule defines the 
term ``proprietary information'' for purposes of section 101(k) and the 
regulation. Paragraph (d)(5)(ii) of the final rule provides that 
``proprietary information'' means trade secrets and other non-public 
information (e.g., processes, procedures, formulas, methodologies, 
techniques, strategies) that, if disclosed by the plan, may cause, or 
increase a reasonable risk of, financial harm to the plan, a 
contributing employer, or entity providing services to the plan. In 
addition, the final regulation provides,

[[Page 9338]]

at paragraph (d)(5)(iii), that a plan administrator may treat 
information relating to a contributing employer or entity providing 
services to the plan as other than proprietary if the contributing 
employer or service provider has not identified such information as 
proprietary. This approach encourages a narrow and reasoned use of the 
proprietary information exception, which will benefit requesting 
persons. At the same time, it will give plan administrators more 
specific authority on which to rely when they need to withhold 
information. The final regulation clarifies that information such as 
customer lists, risk evaluation tools, investment strategies, and 
trading strategies will often be proprietary information of the entity 
providing the service to the plan. On the other hand, it would not be 
consistent with the requirements of the regulation and section 101(k) 
for a plan administrator to characterize information showing poor 
performance, or violations of law, as ``propriety information'' merely 
to avoid disclosing it under section 101(k). Nor typically would it be 
consistent with section 101(k) for a plan administrator to determine 
that information is proprietary when the administrator knows that the 
information has been made available to the general public.

 5. Persons Entitled To Request Documents Sec.  2520.101-6(e)

    Like paragraph (d) of the proposal, paragraph (e) of the final rule 
defines a person entitled to request and receive documents under 
section 101(k) as any participant within the meaning of section 3(7) of 
the Act, any beneficiary receiving benefits under the plan, any labor 
organization representing participants under the plan, or any employer 
that is a party to the collective bargaining agreement(s) pursuant to 
which the plan is maintained or who otherwise may be subject to 
withdrawal liability pursuant to ERISA section 4203. The Department 
received one comment asking whether a plan administrator would be 
obligated to furnish a copy of a report requested by a third party 
acting on behalf of a participant or beneficiary who is entitled to 
request documents under section 101(k). The Department has long held 
the view that a third party, for example an attorney or family member, 
is entitled to request and receive documents on behalf of a participant 
or beneficiary as long as the participant or beneficiary has properly 
authorized the release of such information to the third party and the 
documents are otherwise required to be disclosed to the participant or 
beneficiary under title I of ERISA.\6\ Nothing in section 101(k) of 
ERISA or the final regulation is contrary to this position. Paragraph 
(e) of the final rule is being adopted without change from the 
proposal. See paragraph (e) of Sec.  2520.101-6.
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    \6\ See, e.g., Advisory Opinion 82-21A (Apr. 21, 1982) 
(referencing AO 79-82A).
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6. Miscellaneous

    One commenter noted that the proposal would not have required plans 
to inform participants of their new rights under section 101(k) to 
request and receive copies of actuarial and financial documents from 
their plans. It is the view of the Department that a plan's summary 
plan description should inform participants and beneficiaries about 
their right to request documents required to be disclosed under section 
101(k). The summary plan description is the primary vehicle under ERISA 
for informing participants about their rights and benefits. While 
amending the regulations governing the summary plan description is 
beyond the scope of this rulemaking, the Department will be considering 
changes to the statement of ERISA rights required by paragraph (t) of 
29 CFR 2520.102-3, and the model statement set forth at paragraph 
(t)(2) of that section, to encompass the disclosure of the right to 
documents under section 101(k) of the Act. In this regard, the 
Department invites suggestions for model language and identification of 
any other changes necessary to update the statement of ERISA rights 
described in paragraph (t). Such suggestions may be submitted to e-ori@dol.gov, subject: Statement of ERISA rights.

 7. Charges for Documents

    Along with the proposed regulation under Sec.  2520.101-6, the 
Department also proposed amendments to 29 CFR 2520.104b-30, which 
provides guidelines for assessing a reasonable charge for furnishing 
plan documents pursuant to ERISA section 104(b)(4) (e.g., latest 
updated summary plan description, latest annual report, any terminal 
report, etc.). Language in Sec.  2520.104b-30 could be construed as 
contrary to specific language in section 101(k) of ERISA, Sec.  
2520.101-6 and other PPA provisions amending title I of ERISA that 
expressly permit plan administrators to impose reasonable charges on 
requesters for the cost of furnishing the requested information, 
including handling and postage charges. Accordingly, minor conforming 
amendments were proposed to paragraph (a) of Sec.  2520.104b-30. 
Because the Department received no comment on these amendments, they 
were adopted without change in the final rule.

C. Regulatory Impact Analysis

Summary

    This final rule contains guidance necessary to implement section 
101(k) of the Act, the requirements of which are discussed above.
    Section 101(k) was added to ERISA because more complete disclosures 
were considered an important element of measures enacted in PPA to 
strengthen the long-term health of the multiemployer pension plan 
system. Providing participants and beneficiaries, employee 
representatives, and contributing employers with greater access to 
actuarial and financial information regarding their plans will increase 
the transparency of multiemployer pension plans and afford all parties 
interested in the financial viability of such plans greater opportunity 
to monitor their funding and financial status and to take appropriate 
action when necessary.
    By clarifying certain terms used in section 101(k) of the Act, this 
regulation will also permit multiemployer plan administrators to 
fulfill their disclosure responsibilities under this section with 
greater certainty. The increase in transparency of plan operations may 
also contribute to a greater sense of accountability to plan 
participants and beneficiaries on the part of plan officials. These 
benefits have not been quantified.
    The cost of the multiemployer plan disclosure requirement under 
section 101(k) of the Act and the final rule is expected to total 
approximately $2.4 million in the year of implementation,\7\ $2.1 
million in the second year, and $1.7 million in the third year. The 
ten-year total discounted cost of the statute and rule is $15.7 
million.\8\ These costs arise from logging in disclosure requests, 
copying and mailing the reports, and redacting individually 
identifiable and proprietary information from the reports. The total 
hour burden is estimated to be 47,000 hours in the first year, 42,000 
in the second year and 34,000 in the third year. Both the dollar

[[Page 9339]]

burden and the hour burden are projected to fall over the three-year 
period as interest in the aging inventory of existing documents subject 
to this regulation wanes. The dollar equivalent of the three-year hour 
burden is estimated to be $3.7 million.
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    \7\ For purposes of this regulatory impact analysis, the 
Department has assumed that 2010 is the year of implementation, 
notwithstanding that section 101(k) of ERISA first became effective 
for plan years beginning after December 31, 2007. The Department 
uses pre-PPA requirements as the base-line for this analysis.
    \8\ This assumes a discount rate of 7 percent and is in 2009 
Dollars. The ten-year period covers the years 2010-2019.
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    The data and methodology used in developing these estimates are 
more fully described in the Paperwork Reduction Act section of this 
regulatory impact analysis.

Executive Order 12866 Statement

    Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735), the Department must 
determine whether a regulatory action is ``significant'' and therefore 
subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Section 
3(f) of the Executive Order defines a ``significant regulatory action'' 
as an action that is likely to result in a rule (1) having an annual 
effect on the economy of $100 million or more, or adversely and 
materially affecting a sector of the economy, productivity, 
competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or State, 
local or tribal governments or communities (also referred to as 
``economically significant''); (2) creating a serious inconsistency or 
otherwise interfering with an action taken or planned by another 
agency; (3) materially altering the budgetary impacts of entitlement 
grants, user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of 
recipients thereof; or (4) raising novel legal or policy issues arising 
out of legal mandates, the President's priorities, or the principles 
set forth in the Executive Order. Although the Department believes that 
this regulatory action is not economically significant within the 
meaning of section 3(f)(1) of the Executive Order, the action has been 
determined to be significant within the meaning of section 3(f)(4) of 
the Executive Order, and the Department accordingly provides the 
following assessment of its potential costs and benefits. As elaborated 
below, the Department believes that the benefits of the rule justify 
its costs.
    In assessing the costs and benefits of the rule and associated 
provisions of the Act, the Department endeavored to consider all of the 
major activities that will be carried out pursuant to them, e.g., 
copying and mailing the reports and redacting individually identifiable 
and proprietary information from the reports. Because the regulation 
does not require the creation of any new documents, the costs of the 
rule are limited to those arising from logging in requests and from 
copying, mailing and redacting disclosed reports.
    The Department estimates that the total cost \9\ per plan year over 
the first three-year period to comply with the regulation will average 
$870 for defined benefit plans and $580 for defined contribution plans. 
Given that total 2006 assets of multiemployer pension plans averaged 
about $290 million in defined benefit plans and $55 million in defined 
contribution plans, these annual costs average about $3 per million 
dollars of plan assets in defined benefit plans and $10 per million 
dollars of assets in defined contribution plans. The Department 
believes that the rule will provide participants, beneficiaries, 
employee representatives, and contributing employers with important 
information regarding the funding and financial status of multiemployer 
pension plans and allow them to take action where appropriate. Although 
the benefits of this increased transparency have not been quantified, 
the Department has concluded that these benefits of the rule justify 
its costs.
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    \9\ Total cost is the sum of the dollar burden and the dollar 
equivalent of the hour burden.
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Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), the proposed regulation solicited comments on 
the information collections included in the regulation. The Department 
submitted an information collection request (ICR) to OMB in accordance 
with 44 U.S.C. 3507(d) contemporaneously with publication of the 
proposed regulation for OMB's review. Two public comments described 
earlier in this preamble raised issues relevant to the costs and 
administrative burdens attendant to the proposal. The Department took 
these public comments into account in revising the economic impact of 
the proposal and developing the revised paperwork burden analysis 
discussed below.
    In connection with publication of this final rule, the Department 
submitted an ICR to OMB for its request of a new collection. OMB 
approved the ICR on February 21, 2010, under OMB Control Number 1210-
0131, which expires on February 28, 2013. A copy of the ICR may be 
obtained by contacting the PRA addressee shown below or at https://www.RegInfo.gov. PRA addressee: G. Christopher Cosby, Office of Policy 
and Research, U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security 
Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-5718, Washington, 
DC 20210. Telephone: (202) 693-8410; Fax: (202) 219-4745. These are not 
toll-free numbers.
    The final rule implements the disclosure requirements of new 
section 101(k) of the Act, as added by section 502(a)(1) of the PPA. As 
described earlier in the preamble, section 101(k)(1) of the Act 
requires multiemployer plan administrators, upon written request, to 
furnish copies of certain documents to any plan participant, 
beneficiary, employee representative, or any employer that has an 
obligation to contribute to the plan. The documents that may be 
requested are (1) a copy of any periodic actuarial report (including 
sensitivity testing) received by the plan for any plan year which has 
been in the plan's possession for at least 30 days; (2) a copy of any 
quarterly, semi-annual, or annual financial report prepared for the 
plan by any plan investment manager or advisor or other fiduciary that 
has been in the plan's possession for at least 30 days; and (3) a copy 
of any application filed with the Secretary of the Treasury requesting 
an extension under section 304 of ERISA (or section 431(d) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986) and the determination of such Secretary 
pursuant to such application.
    The information collection provisions of this final regulation are 
found in Sec.  2520.101-6(a), which requires multiemployer defined 
benefit and defined contribution pension plan administrators to furnish 
copies of certain actuarial and financial documents to plan 
participants, beneficiaries, employee representatives, and contributing 
employers upon request. This information constitutes a third-party 
disclosure from the administrator to participants, beneficiaries, 
employee representatives, and contributing employers for purposes of 
the PRA. Pursuant to Sec.  2520.101-6(d)(5), the documents required to 
be disclosed shall not contain any information that the plan 
administrator reasonably determines to be either: (i) Individually 
identifiable information regarding any plan participant, beneficiary, 
employee, fiduciary, or contributing employer, except that such 
limitation shall not apply to an investment manager or adviser, or with 
respect to any other person (other than an employee of the plan) 
preparing a financial report described in paragraph Sec.  2520.101-
6(c)(2); or (ii) proprietary information regarding the plan, any 
contributing employer, or entity providing services to the plan. The 
plan administrator must inform the requester if any such information is 
withheld.

Annual Hour Burden

    In order to estimate the potential costs of section 101(k) of the 
Act and this

[[Page 9340]]

final rule, the Department estimated the number of plans that would be 
affected. Based on data derived exclusively from the Form 5500 for the 
2006 plan year, which is the most recent year for which complete data 
are available, the Department estimates that there are 1,500 
multiemployer defined benefit plans and 1,530 multiemployer defined 
contribution plans that would be subject to this disclosure 
requirement. Section 101(k) of the Act and the proposal generally did 
not limit the class of documents that can be requested in any way by 
date of creation or receipt. However, as explained in the preamble 
above, in response to comments received on the proposal, the final 
regulation limits a plan administrator's obligation with respect to 
aged documents. See Sec.  2520.101-6(d)(2). Thus, for purposes of this 
regulatory impact analysis, the Department has assumed that plans would 
not respond to any requests for aged documents (i.e., documents in 
existing inventory that were received prior to the 2004 plan year), but 
that each multiemployer defined benefit and defined contribution 
pension plan will disclose both an existing inventory and newly created 
periodic actuarial reports (``actuarial reports''), quarterly, 
semiannual, or annual financial reports (``financial reports''), and 
amortization extension requests filed with the IRS (``extension 
requests'').
    In developing burden estimates, the Department has taken into 
account the total estimated hours required to copy, mail, and redact 
reports eligible for disclosure. Redaction may be required to remove 
individually identifiable and proprietary information from certain 
reports.
    With respect to an existing inventory of reports, the Department 
estimates that multiemployer defined benefit plans will receive 99,000 
\10\ requests to disclose existing financial reports (an average of 66 
per plan), 75,000 requests for existing actuarial reports (an average 
of 50 per plan), and 1,500 requests for existing extension requests (an 
average of one per plan), and defined contribution plans will receive 
64,000 requests for existing financial reports (an average of 42 per 
plan). Therefore, the Department estimates that multiemployer pension 
plans will receive a total of 240,000 requests for disclosures of 
existing inventory of reports at some point over the first five years 
starting on the effective date of the statute.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ All dollar or hour numbers in this burden analysis have 
been rounded to either the nearest thousand or the nearest hundred, 
as appropriate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    For purposes of this analysis, the Department assumes that 40 
percent of the existing documents would be requested in the year 
section 101(k) first became effective, 30 percent in the second year, 
15 percent in the third year, 10 percent in the fourth year, and 5 
percent in the fifth year.\11\ Although section 101(k) first became 
effective for plan years beginning after December 31, 2007, the final 
rule is not itself effective until 30 days after its publication in the 
Federal Register (2010). Therefore, the Department estimates that 70% 
of existing documents would be disclosed during the two years before 
the effective date of the regulation and these costs are accounted for 
in the RIA. The PRA burden analysis, however, only accounts for the 
hour and cost burden incurred during the year the final rule is 
effective and the following two years (2010-2012). Based on this 
allocation, the hour burdens are estimated to be 34,000 hours ($1.1 
million equivalent cost) in 2010, 32,000 hours ($1.1 million equivalent 
cost) in 2011, and 29,000 hours ($875,000 equivalent cost) in 2012.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \11\ This assumption is based on the expectation that interest 
in receiving existing documents will be high in the initial year of 
implementation and gradually decrease in subsequent years.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Department estimates that the total hour burden associated with 
disclosing existing documents upon request over the three-year period 
(2010-2012) will be approximately 16,000 hours.\12\ For purposes of 
this impact analysis only, this includes 15,000 clerical hours to log 
requests and to locate, copy, and mail paper disclosures \13\ and 1,200 
legal hours (1.1 hours per plan for financial reports, .7 hours for 
actuarial reports, and 0 hours for extension requests) \14\ to redact 
individually identifiable and proprietary information.\15\ The 
equivalent costs of these hours are $540,000.\16\
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    \12\ 8,200 hours in 2010, 5,400 hours in 2011, and 2,700 hours 
in 2012.
    \13\ This is the product of the total documents disclosed times 
the percentage of documents disclosed on paper times 15 minutes (to 
locate, copy, and mail paper documents).
    \14\ The Department estimates that 70% of the requested 
documents will be redacted by outside legal counsel, and that 30% of 
financial reports and 25% of actuarial reports will require 
redaction.
    \15\ The Department estimates that 20% of existing financial 
reports and actuarial reports for defined benefit plans will be 
available electronically, 50% of existing extension requests for 
such plans will be available electronically, and 20% of existing 
defined contribution plan financial reports will be available 
electronically. Documents are assumed to be disclosed on paper 
unless the requester has access to e-mail and requests a document 
that already exists in paper form.
    \16\ EBSA labor rate estimates are in 2009 Dollars and are based 
on the National Occupational Employment Survey (May 2007, Bureau of 
Labor Statistics) and the Employment Cost Index (June 2008, Bureau 
of Labor Statistics). Total labor costs (wages plus benefits plus 
overhead) for clerical staff were estimated to average $26 per hour. 
Total labor cost for legal staff was estimated to average $116 per 
hour based on wage estimates for attorneys.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    With respect to newly created reports, the Department estimates 
that multiemployer defined benefit plans will receive 105,000 requests 
to disclose newly created financial reports (an average of 70 per 
plan), 32,000 requests for newly created actuarial reports (an average 
of 21 per plan), and 1,600 requests for newly created extension 
requests (an average of one per plan), and defined contribution plans 
will receive 92,000 requests for newly created financial reports (an 
average of 60 per plan). Therefore, the Department estimates that 
multiemployer pension plans would receive a total of 231,000 requests 
annually for disclosures of newly created reports.
    The Department estimates that the total hour burden associated with 
disclosing newly created documents upon request is 26,000 hours 
annually. This estimate includes 25,000 clerical hours to copy and mail 
paper disclosures and 1,300 legal hours to redact individually 
identifiable and proprietary information. The equivalent cost of these 
hours is estimated to be $785,000.

Annual Cost Burden

    The main costs arising from this information collection derive from 
the direct costs of redacting individually identifiable and proprietary 
information from the reports. The Department assumes no additional 
costs for copying and mailing documents, because the final rule, like 
the proposal, allows plans to charge requesters for the reasonable 
costs of furnishing documents in an amount that does not exceed the 
lesser of the actual cost to the plan to furnish the document, or 25 
cents per page plus the cost of mailing or otherwise delivering the 
requested document.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \17\ One commenter expressed concern that the administrative 
cost of the proposed rule may have been overstated because Internet 
disclosure will be frequent and cost efficient. The Department notes 
that no distribution costs for the notices have been included in 
this PRA analysis because plans can charge for the cost of 
furnishing paper documents and the cost of electronic distribution 
is nominal.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The estimated total costs to redact individually identifiable and 
proprietary information from the existing inventory of financial 
reports over the three-year period 2010-2012

[[Page 9341]]

are $132,000 \18\ and from the existing inventory of actuarial reports 
are $82,000.\19\ The Department estimates that no costs will be 
incurred for redacting information from the existing inventory of 
extension requests. For multiemployer defined contribution plans, 
estimated redaction costs for existing financial reports are 
$134,000.\20\ Therefore, the total redaction costs for the existing 
inventory of all reports are estimated to be $348,000.\21\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \18\ $66,000 in 2010, $44,000 in 2011, and $22,000 in 2012.
    \19\ $41,000 in 2010, $27,000 in 2011, and $13,000 in 2012.
    \20\ $67,000 in 2010, $44,000 in 2011, and 22,000 in 2012.
    \21\ $174,000 in 2010, $116,000 in 2011, and $58,000 in 2012.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The estimated annual costs of contract work \22\ to redact 
individually identifiable and proprietary information for newly-created 
financial reports would be $146,000 and $46,000 for newly created 
actuarial reports. The Department estimates that no costs will be 
incurred for redacting information from newly created extension 
requests. For multiemployer defined contribution plans, the annual 
redaction costs for newly created financial reports are estimated to be 
$149,000. Therefore, the total annual redaction costs for all newly 
created reports are estimated to be $341,000.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \22\ The Department has assumed that 70% of redaction work will 
be contracted.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Type of Review: New collection.
    Agency: Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security 
Administration.
    Title: Multiemployer Pension Plan Information Made Available on 
Request.
    OMB Number: 1210-0131.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-
profit; not-for-profit institutions.
    Respondents: 3,037.
    Frequency of Response: Occasionally.
    Responses: 255,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 34,000 (first year); 31,000 
(second year); 29,000 (third year).
    Estimated Total Annual Cost Burden: $515,000 (first year); $457,000 
(second year); $399,000 (third year).

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) (RFA) imposes 
certain requirements with respect to Federal rules that are subject to 
the notice and comment requirements of section 553(b) of the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551 et seq.) and which are 
likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of 
small entities. Unless an agency certifies that a rule is not likely to 
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities, section 603 of the RFA requires that the agency present a 
regulatory flexibility analysis at the time of the publication of the 
final rule describing the impact of the rule on small entities and 
seeking public comment on such impact. Small entities include small 
businesses, organizations and governmental jurisdictions.
    For purposes of analysis under the RFA, the Employee Benefits 
Security Administration (EBSA) continues to consider a small entity to 
be an employee benefit plan with fewer than 100 participants. The basis 
of this definition is found in section 104(a)(2) of ERISA, which 
permits the Secretary of Labor to prescribe simplified annual reports 
for pension plans that cover fewer than 100 participants. By this 
standard, data from the EBSA Private Pension Bulletin 2006 show that 
only 375 multiemployer pension plans or 12% of all multiemployer 
pension plans are small entities. The Department does not consider this 
to be a substantial number of small entities. Therefore, pursuant to 
section 605(b) of the RFA, the Department hereby certifies that this 
rule is not likely to have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities.

Congressional Review Act

    This final rule is subject to the Congressional Review Act 
provisions of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 
1996 (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) and will be transmitted to the Congress and 
the Comptroller General for review.

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    For purposes of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 
104-4), as well as Executive Order 12875, the final rule does not 
include any Federal mandate that will result in expenditures by state, 
local, or tribal governments in the aggregate of more than $100 
million, adjusted for inflation, or increase expenditures by the 
private sector of more than $100 million, adjusted for inflation.

Federalism Statement

    Executive Order 13132 (August 4, 1999) outlines fundamental 
principles of federalism and requires the adherence to specific 
criteria by Federal agencies in the process of their formulation and 
implementation of policies that have substantial direct effects on the 
States, the relationship between the national government and the 
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the 
various levels of government. This final rule does not have federalism 
implications because it has no substantial direct effect on the States, 
on the relationship between the national government and the States, or 
on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various 
levels of government. Section 514 of ERISA provides, with certain 
exceptions specifically enumerated, that the provisions of Titles I and 
IV of ERISA supersede any and all laws of the States as they relate to 
any employee benefit plan covered under ERISA. The requirements 
implemented in the rule do not alter the fundamental provisions of the 
statute with respect to employee benefit plans, and as such would have 
no implications for the States or the relationship or distribution of 
power between the national government and the States.

List of Subjects in 29 CFR Part 2520

    Accounting, Employee benefit plans, Employee Retirement Income 
Security Act, Pensions, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

0
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Department of Labor 
amends 29 CFR part 2520 as follows:

PART 2520--RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR REPORTING AND DISCLOSURE

0
1. The authority citation for part 2520 is revised to read as follows:

    Authority: 29 U.S.C. 1021-1025, 1027, 1029-31, 1059, 1134 and 
1135; and Secretary of Labor's Order 1-2003, 68 FR 5374 (Feb. 3, 
2003). Sec. 2520.101-2 also issued under 29 U.S.C. 1132, 1181-1183, 
1181 note, 1185, 1185a-b, 1191, and 1191a-c. Sec. 2520.101-4 also 
issued under 29 U.S.C. 1021(f). Sec. 2520.101-6 also issued under 29 
U.S.C. 1021(k) and Pub. L. 109-280, Sec.  502(a)(3), 120 Stat. 780, 
940 (2006). Secs. 2520.102-3, 2520.104b-1 and 2520.104b-3 also 
issued under 29 U.S.C. 1003, 1181-1183, 1181 note, 1185, 1185a-b, 
1191, and 1191a-c. Secs. 2520.104b-1 and 2520.107 also issued under 
26 U.S.C. 401 note, 111 Stat. 788.

0
2. Add and reserve Sec.  2520.101-5 of subpart A, and add Sec.  
2520.101-6 to subpart A to read as follows:


Sec.  2520.101-5  [Reserved]


Sec.  2520.101-6  Multiemployer Pension Plan Information Made Available 
on Request.

    (a) In general. For purposes of compliance with the requirements of 
section 101(k) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 
as amended (the Act), 29 U.S.C. 1001, et seq., the administrator of a 
multiemployer pension plan shall, in

[[Page 9342]]

accordance with the requirements of this section, furnish copies of 
reports and applications described in paragraph (c) of this section to 
plan participants, beneficiaries, employee representatives and 
contributing employers, described in paragraph (e) of this section.
    (b) Obligation to furnish. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (d) 
of this section, the administrator of a multiemployer pension plan 
shall, not later than 30 days after receipt of a written request for a 
report(s) or application(s) described in paragraph (c) of this section 
from a plan participant, beneficiary, employee representative or 
contributing employer described in paragraph (e) of this section, 
furnish the requested document or documents to the requester.
    (2) The plan administrator shall furnish reports and applications 
pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section in a manner consistent 
with the requirements of 29 CFR 2520.104b-1, including paragraph (c) of 
that section relating to the use of electronic media.
    (3) The plan administrator may impose a reasonable charge to cover 
the costs of furnishing documents pursuant to this section, but in no 
event may such charge exceed--
    (i) The lesser of: (A) The actual cost to the plan for the least 
expensive means of acceptable reproduction of the document(s) or (B) 25 
cents per page; plus
    (ii) The cost of mailing or delivery of the document.
    (c) Documents to be furnished. For purposes of paragraph (a) of 
this section, and subject to paragraph (d) of this section, a plan 
participant, beneficiary, employee representative or contributing 
employer described in paragraph (e) of this section, shall be entitled 
to request and receive a copy of any:
    (1) Periodic actuarial report. For this purpose the term ``periodic 
actuarial report'' means any--
    (i) Actuarial report prepared by an actuary of the plan and 
received by the plan at regularly scheduled, recurring intervals; and
    (ii) Study, test (including a sensitivity test), document, analysis 
or other information (whether or not called a ``report'') received by 
the plan from an actuary of the plan that depicts alternative funding 
scenarios based on a range of alternative actuarial assumptions, 
whether or not such information is received by the plan at regularly 
scheduled, recurring intervals.
    (2) Quarterly, semi-annual, or annual financial report prepared for 
the plan by any plan investment manager or advisor (without regard to 
whether such advisor is a fiduciary within the meaning of section 3(21) 
of the Act) or other fiduciary; and
    (3) Application filed with the Secretary of the Treasury requesting 
an extension under section 304 of the Act or section 431(d) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the determination of such Secretary 
pursuant to such application.
    (d) Limitations and exceptions. For purposes of this section, 
reports and applications (and related determinations) required to be 
disclosed under this section shall not include:
    (1) Any report or application that was furnished to the requester 
within the 12-month period immediately preceding the date on which the 
request is received by the plan;
    (2) Any report or application that, as of the date on which the 
request is received by the plan, has been in the plan's possession for 
6 years or more;
    (3) Any report described in paragraph (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this 
section that, as of the date on which the request is received by the 
plan, has not been in the plan's possession for at least 30 days; 
except that, if the plan administrator elects not to furnish any such 
document, the administrator shall furnish a notice, not later than 30 
days after the date on which request is received by the plan, informing 
the requester of the existence of the document and the earliest date on 
which the document can be furnished by the plan.
    (4) Any information or data which served as the basis for any 
report or application described in paragraph (c) of this section, 
although nothing herein shall limit any other right that a person may 
have to review or obtain such information under the Act; or
    (5)(i) Any information within a report or application that the plan 
administrator reasonably determines to be either:
    (A) individually identifiable information with respect to any plan 
participant, beneficiary, employee, fiduciary, or contributing 
employer, except that such limitation shall not apply to an investment 
manager, adviser, or other person (other than an employee of the plan) 
preparing a financial report described in paragraph (c)(2) of this 
section; or
    (B) proprietary information regarding the plan, any contributing 
employer, or entity providing services to the plan.
    (ii) For purposes of paragraph (d)(5)(i)(B) of this section, the 
term ``proprietary information'' means trade secrets and other non-
public information (e.g., processes, procedures, formulas, 
methodologies, techniques, strategies) that, if disclosed by the plan, 
may cause, or increase a reasonable risk of, financial harm to the 
plan, a contributing employer, or entity providing services to the 
plan.
    (iii) The plan administrator may treat information relating to a 
contributing employer or entity providing services to the plan as other 
than proprietary if the contributing employer or service provider has 
not identified such information as proprietary.
    (iv) A plan administrator shall inform the requester if the plan 
administrator withholds any information described in paragraph 
(d)(5)(i) of this section from a report or application requested under 
paragraph (b) of this section.
    (e) Persons entitled to request documents. For purposes of this 
section, a plan participant, beneficiary, employee representative or 
contributing employer entitled to request and receive reports and 
applications includes:
    (1) Any participant within the meaning of section 3(7) of the Act;
    (2) Any beneficiary receiving benefits under the plan;
    (3) Any labor organization representing participants under the 
plan;
    (4) Any employer that is a party to the collective bargaining 
agreement(s) pursuant to which the plan is maintained or who otherwise 
may be subject to withdrawal liability pursuant to section 4203 of the 
Act.

0
3. In Sec.  2520.104b-30, revise paragraph (a) to read as follows:


Sec.  2520.104b-30  Charges for documents.

    (a) Application. The plan administrator of an employee benefit plan 
may impose a reasonable charge to cover the cost of furnishing to 
participants and beneficiaries upon their written request as required 
under section 104(b)(4) of the Act, copies of the following 
information, statements or documents: The latest updated summary plan 
description, and the latest annual report, any terminal report, the 
bargaining agreement, trust agreement, contract, or other instruments 
under which the plan is established or operated. Except where 
explicitly permitted under the Act, no charge may be assessed for 
furnishing information, statements or documents as required by other 
provisions of the Act, which include, in part 1 of title I, sections 
104(b)(1), (2), (3) and (c) and 105(a) and (c).
* * * * *


[[Page 9343]]


    Signed at Washington, DC, this 22nd day of February 2010.
Phyllis C. Borzi,
Assistant Secretary, Employee Benefits Security Administration, 
Department of Labor.
[FR Doc. 2010-4097 Filed 2-26-10; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-29-P