Department of Energy Contractor Employee Equitable Treatment Act of 2006

H.R. 5362, the Department of Energy Contractor Employee Equitable Treatment Act of 2006, was designed to protect traditional pension and healthcare benefits for workers employed by Department of Energy (DOE) contractors. The bill sought to block a DOE policy change that would have stopped the government from reimbursing contractors for the costs of "defined benefit" pensions and traditional medical plans for new employees, moving instead toward market-based "defined contribution" plans like 401(k)s. By requiring the Secretary of Energy to withdraw this guidance, the legislation aimed to ensure that contractor employees maintained access to more stable, guaranteed retirement and health benefits regardless of when they were hired.