Church Plan Parity and Entanglement Prevention Act of 1999
Public Law 106-244 · S. 1309 · 106th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Jul 10, 2000 · Labor and Employment
Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Sets forth requirements for determining the status of a church plan that is a welfare plan under any State insurance law that: (1) requires licensing of a church plan or other organization described under specified provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to the extent that it is administering or funding such a plan; or (2) relates solely to the solvency or insolvency of a church plan (including participation in State guaranty funds and associations).
Requires such a plan, and any trust under it, to be deemed a plan sponsored by a single employer that reimburses costs from general church assets, or purchases insurance coverage with general church assets, or both.
Requires such a church plan to be subject to State enforcement as if it were an insurer licensed by the State.
Limits the application of this Act to determining such a church plan's status under such State insurance laws. Prohibits construing this Act to recharacterize the status, or modify or affect the rights, of any plan participant or beneficiary, including those who make plan contributions.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 11 actions.
- Jul 10, 2000Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 106-244.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jun 29, 2000PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Jun 26, 2000FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Boehner moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Nov 19, 1999FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- Jun 30, 1999CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.