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Introduced

SB5605: Employee and Retiree Access to Justice Act

: Tina Smith (D-US) : Oct 4, 2026 Updated: Sep 30, 2026
Bill ProgressIntroduced
  1. 1Introduced (current step)
  2. 2Passed One Chamber
  3. 3Passed Both Chambers
  4. 4Became Law

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Bill information

Summary

A bill to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide that any mandatory predispute or coerced postdispute arbitration clause, class action waiver, representation waiver, or discretionary clause with respect to a plan is unenforceable, to prohibit any such clause or waiver from being included in a plan document or other agreement with plan participants, and for other purposes.

Plain-language summary

This bill would prevent employee retirement plans from requiring workers to sign agreements giving up their right to sue in court or join class action lawsuits. It would ban mandatory arbitration clauses (forced private dispute resolution), class action waivers, and other provisions that limit legal remedies. The bill targets the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which governs most private pension and benefits plans. Currently, the bill has been introduced and is in the early stages of the legislative process.

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SB5605: Employee and Retiree Access to Justice Act

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