Employee Benefits in an Era of Retrenchment

Announcing a one-day national conference for leading scholars and policy makers.

When:  Thursday, March 29, 2012
Where:  Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri
Sponsored by:  Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work and Social Capital and Washington University School of Law

This event is by invitation only. 

 ABSTRACTS  

Employee Benefits in an Era of Retrenchment Conference
March 29, 2012
Conference Schedule
8:00 am – 8:20 am Registration
Anheuser-Busch Hall, Room 320
8:20 am     Welcome and Introductions
Marion Crain, Wiley B. Rutledge Professor of Law and Director of the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work and Social Capital
8:30 am – 9:40 am  Panel 1 – Health Care 
  1. Amy Monahan (Minnesota), Rethinking Small Employer Health Insurance  
  2. Susan Cancelosi (Wayne State), The Quandary of Federal Intervention in Retiree Health Benefits  

Moderator/Commentator: Donald Bogan (Oklahoma)  
9:40 am – 9:55 am Break
9:55 am – 11:05 am Panel 2 – The Future of Employer Plans
  1. Colleen Medill (Nebraska), The New Revocable Property 
  2. Norman Stein (Drexel), Tax Costs and Distributions of Tax Benefits in Qualified Retirements Plans and Some Thoughts on Mitt Romney’s Midas IRA and Other Related Issues  

Moderator/Commentator: Russell Osgood (Washington U.)  
11:05 am – 11:20 pm Break
11:20 am – 12:30 pm Panel 3 – Social Insecurity
  1. Kathryn Moore (Kentucky), Social Security Reform in an Era of Retrenchment: What Would Happen if the Social Security Trust Funds Were Exhausted? 
  2. Paul Secunda (Marquette), The Role of Non-Public Actors in the American Social Security System  

Moderator/Commentator: Barry Kozak (John Marshall) 
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch Break
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Panel 4 – ERISA in Action
  1. Brendan Maher (Oklahoma City U.) and Radha Pathak (Whittier Law School), Health Insurance and Federalism-in-Fact   
  2. Sean Anderson (Illinois), ERISA Benefits Litigation Before and After Glenn: An Empirical Picture   
  3. Peter Wiedenbeck (Washington U.), Invisible Pension Investments (co-authors Rachael Hinkle and Andrew Martin - Washington U.)

Moderator/Commentator: Elizabeth Pendo (St. Louis U) 
3:00 pm – 3:15 pm Break
3:15 pm – 4:45 pm Panel 5 – Comparative Perspectives
  1. Paul Secunda (Marquette), Lessons from the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions for U.S. Policymakers  
  2. Dana Muir (Michigan), Defaults—A Comparative Approach to Fiduciary Obligation and the Role of Markets   
  3. Jonathan Forman (Oklahoma), Optimal Distribution Rules for Defined Contribution Plans: What Can We Learn from Other Countries?  

Moderator/Commentator: John Turner (Pension Policy Center)  

Conference Organizers

Peter Wiedenbeck, Washington University School of Law, pwiedenbeck@law.wustl.edu, 314-935-6442
Paul Secunda, Marquette University Law School, paul.secunda@marquette.edu, 414-288-6497

Travel, Accommodations and Expenses

NOTE: A welcome dinner reception will take place on Wednesday evening, March 28 at 7:00 p.m. at Washington University Law School - please plan your trip accordingly. 

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is easy to get to from most parts of the country.  Amtrak also serves St. Louis, and it's especially convenient if you're coming from Chicago or Kansas City (or someplace that links to one of those cities).  Getting around in St. Louis is also pretty easy, either with cabs or, especially between the airport, hotel, and Wash. U., using the light rail system.
Hotel rooms have been blocked  for conference participants at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, adjacent to Forest Park. You should contact the hotel and reference "WU ERISA Conference" to receive the Wash U Law rate contracted with Chase Park Plaza ($162.00 per night) hotels. Conference participants should plan to pay for lodging and transportation; meals will be provided without charge.

Questions?

For further information contact Shelly Henderson-Ford, Administrative Coordinator for the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work and Social Capital, shenderson@wulaw.wustl.edu, (314) 935-6161.

 

Washington University Law • Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work and Social Capital
Marion Crain, Wiley B. Rutledge Professor of Law and Director of the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work and Social Capital
Shelly Henderson, Administrative Coordinator of the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work and Social Capital
T: 314.935.6161 · F: 314.935.7961 · website