NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — For many workers in industries like tourism, retirement plans might not be baked into their employment.
“Some statistics show that about 50% of private sector employees are not offered a retirement savings option through their employment with their employer,” Rep. Charlie Baum (R-Murfreesboro) said.
So Baum filed what he calls the ‘Tennessee Retirement Savings Plan Act.’ If the legislature passes it, it would make it so, ‘a resident of this state employed for compensation in this state with a private employer… is eligible to participate in a defined contribution retirement plan established by the Tennessee Retirement Savings Board.’
Essentially, what that means is employees who don’t have a retirement savings plan – like a 401k – through their employer, now have the chance to have one through the state.
“It offers the state of Tennessee and our Tennesseans huge potential benefits, really at a minimal cost to the state,” Baum said.
It’s a bill that would seemingly have bipartisan support.
“Helping working families save for retirement is a noble effort,” Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said. “I think we can evaluate or look at different ways to possibly facilitate that.”
Though Clemmons, the Democratic Caucus Chairman, did bash Republicans for what he calls inconsistent messaging.
“It sounds a lot like big government being pushed by Republicans, yet again,” he said. “This is the type of governmental program that I’ve heard my friends across the aisle completely blast, over the years, as big government.”
Baum actually somewhat shared that sentiment. He said he’s filed a similar bill before and most of the opposition came from his Republican colleagues.
“Any time a new plan like this is proposed, there’s naturally going to be some people who are concerned about cost to the government,” Baum said.
He argued the cost is less than a percent of what’s already budgeted for public sector employees.
