Legislative Updates

With so much attention focused on the rifts among and between political parties and the news media, it may seem as if little actual legislation is making its way through our democratic process. However, while President Trump’s major initiatives – Affordable Care Act repeal, tax reform and infrastructure improvements – haven’t been enacted, Trump has signed more than 40 bills since taking office in January.¹

Although the political situation may present frustration for people trying to make prudent decisions about their financial future, we remind you that finances are personal. Your financial decisions should reflect your own goals and timeline. We are happy to evaluate your retirement income strategy and make recommendations utilizing insurance products to help you work toward your objectives.

Here is an overview of some of the recent legislation Congress has passed:

·        Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (H.R. 3364) – This bill requires the president to submit any planned waiver of current sanctions on other countries to Congress, and details new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea for a variety of violations.²

·        Securing our Agriculture and Food Act (H.R. 1238) – This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to protect efforts related to food, agriculture and veterinary defense from acts of terrorism and other high-consequence events that pose a risk to homeland security.³

·        Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 (S. 1094) – This bill gives the secretary of Veterans Affairs the authority to fire employees through an expedited appeals process, and it makes it easier to discipline employees by revoking bonuses. It also has provisions to protect whistleblowers who report wrongdoing.⁴

·        Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2017 (S. 419) – This bill revises requirements for the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program, which provides death, disability and education benefits to public safety officers who are killed or injured in the line of duty, as well as to their survivors. The bill includes provisions to expedite the payment of benefit claims.⁵

Content prepared by Kara Stefan Communications.

¹ Jennifer Hansler. CNN. Aug. 3, 2017. “President Trump has signed 43 bills into law. Here’s what they do.” http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/29/politics/president-trump-legislation/index.html. Accessed Aug. 18, 2017.
² GovTrack. 2017. “H.R. 3364: Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.” https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr3364. Accessed Aug. 18, 2017.
³ GovTrack. 2017. “H.R. 1238: Securing our Agriculture and Food Act.” https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr1238. Accessed Aug. 18, 2017.
⁴ GovTrack. 2017. “S. 1094: Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017.” https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/s1094. Accessed Aug. 18, 2017.
⁵ GovTrack. 2017. “S. 419: Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2017.” https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/s419. Accessed Aug. 18, 2017.

This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic retirement income strategies and should not be construed as financial advice.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions. If you are unable to access any of the news articles and sources through the links provided in this text, please contact us to request a copy of the desired reference.

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