2017-05489. Multiemployer Pension Plan Application To Reduce Benefits

AGENCY:

Department of the Treasury.

ACTION:

Notice of availability; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Board of Trustees of the Western States Office and Professional Employees Pension Fund (WSOPE Pension Fund), a multiemployer pension plan, has submitted an application to Treasury to reduce benefits under the plan in accordance with the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014 (MPRA). The purpose of this notice is to announce that the application submitted by the Board of Trustees of the WSOPE Pension Fund has been published on the Web site of the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), and to request public comments on the application from interested parties, including participants and beneficiaries, employee organizations, and contributing employers of the WSOPE Pension Fund.

DATES:

Comments must be received by May 5, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov,, in accordance with the instructions on that site. Electronic submissions through www.regulations.gov are encouraged.

Comments may also be mailed to the Department of the Treasury, MPRA Office, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Room 1224, Washington, DC 20220. Attn: Eric Berger. Comments sent via facsimile and email will not be accepted.

Additional Instructions. All comments received, including attachments and other supporting materials, will be made available to the public. Do not include any personally identifiable information (such as Social Security number, name, address, or other contact information) or any other information in your comment or supporting materials that you do not want publicly disclosed. Treasury will make comments available for public inspection and copying on www.regulations.gov or upon request. Comments posted on the Internet can be retrieved by most Internet search engines.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information regarding the application from the WSOPE Pension Fund, please contact Treasury at [phone] (not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014 (MPRA) amended the Internal Revenue Code to permit a multiemployer plan that is projected to have insufficient funds to reduce pension benefits payable to participants and beneficiaries if certain conditions are satisfied. In order to reduce benefits, the plan sponsor is required to submit an application to the Secretary of the Treasury, which Treasury, in consultation with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) and the Department of Labor, is required to approve or deny.

On February 22, 2017, the Board of Trustees of the WSOPE Pension Fund submitted an application for approval to reduce benefits under the plan. As required by MPRA, that application has been published on Treasury's Web site at https://auth.treasury.gov/​services/​Pages/​Plan-Applications.aspx. Treasury is publishing this notice in the Federal Register, in consultation with the PBGC and the Department of Labor, to solicit public comments on all aspects of the WSOPE Pension Fund application.

Comments are requested from interested parties, including participants and beneficiaries, employee organizations, and contributing employers of the WSOPE Pension Fund. Consideration will be given to any comments that are timely received by Treasury.

Dated: March 15, 2017.

Tom West,

Tax Legislative Counsel, Office of Tax Policy.