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The 2017 Pension Political Power 25: Kevin de León

No.10. Kevin de León, California State Senator and President Pro Tempore

10. Kevin de León
California State Senator and President Pro Tempore

State Senator Kevin de León has been the driving force behind the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program, designed to cover almost 7 million full-time private sector workers with no access to a workplace plan. Under the leadership of Senate President Pro Tempore de Leon, California became the first state to enact legislation to launch a new kind of affordable, portable savings vehicle. The law created a board, which ordered a market analysis and a feasibility study, both finalized last year. De León, 50, traveled to Washington with State Treasurer John Chiang to make sure California was in compliance with federal regulations. Another big victory has been acceptance of the new plan by employer and insurance industry groups. Though Governor Jerry Brown’s impending lame-duck status makes the ambitious pro tempore all the more powerful, de León’s signature legislation is facing pushback from the new powers in Washington. — Frances Denmark


The 2017 Pension Political Power 25

1. Andy Puzder
Secretary of Labor
2. Bruce Rauner
Governor of Illinois
3. Betsy DeVos
Secretary of Education
4. Laura & John Arnold
Founders,
Laura and John Arnold Foundation
5. Steven Mnuchin
Secretary of the Treasury
6. Wilbur Ross
Secretary of Commerce
7. Tani Cantil-Sakauye
California Chief Justice
8. Paul Ryan
Speaker of the House
9. Anthony Scaramucci
Founder, SkyBridge Capital
10. Kevin de León
California State Senator and President Pro Tempore
11. Mike Enzi
Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security
12. Steve Sweeney
President,
New Jersey State Senate
13. Jerry Brown
Governor of California
14. Corey Lewandowski
Co-founder, Avenue Strategies
15. Paul Singer
President,
Elliott Management Corp.
16. Randel Johnson
Senior Vice President, Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
17. Joe Manchin
U.S. Senator
18. Kenneth Feinberg
Founder and managingpartner, Feinberg Rozen
19. Scott Walker
Governor of Wisconsin
20. Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO
21. Mike Rawlings
Mayor of Dallas
22. Elizabeth Warren
U.S. Senator
23. Kent Mason
Partner,
Davis & Harman
24. Bernie Sanders
U.S. Senator
25. Randi Weingarten
President, American Federation of Teachers

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