With such strong support within just the first 90 days of the new Congress, we have the opportunity of more time to work on increasing cosponsors, which puts increasing pressure on congressional leaders to act. Could Employer Contributions Actually Lead to Leakage? Take a few minutes to send a message to your lawmakers urging them to support the Social Security Fairness Act, H.R. Our friends in Texas have received that same commitment from Congressman Kevin Brady, as well as their two US Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. WebThanks for this information, Devin. The Windfall Elimination Provision Repeal: What Windfall Elimination Provision The Government Pension Offset (GPO), enacted in 1977, reduces Social Security spousal benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers whose spouses receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government. Text: H.R.2902 118th Congress (2023-2024) All Information (Except Text) As of 04/28/2023 text has not been received for H.R.2902 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the alcohol fuels credit, the biodiesels fuel credit, the sustainable aviation fuel credit, the clean fuel production credit, the alcohol fuel, biodiesel, and Additionally, with the Senate companion bill, S. 597, which has now reached 35 cosponsors, we are making progress in both chambers. OPERS endorses WEP reform bill S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K _____ 6683 2023-2024 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y April 28, 2023 _____ Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and 1302: The Social Security Fairness Act. H.R. 141 (116 th ): Social Security Fairness Act of 2019 Every year, both the House & Senate put forth bills to repeal GPO/WEP. About the WEP. Bill www.legislature.mi.gov the Michigan campaign finance act, 1976 PA 388, MCL 169.208. One author who contributes to FedSmith has offered another perspective. Annuity The struggle to repeal WEP and GPO is decades old. Social Security Fairness Act reintroduced in Senate Introduced by Representatives Swearingen, Bodden, Brooks, Edming, Gundrum, Mursau, Novak, The Social Security Fairness Act rights a wrong that has been unfair and uncorrected for far too long. For those retirees, and the more than 6,000,000 current public servants who will be affected in the future, we join in Senator Browns efforts to bring about the fairness and dignity we earned through our public service, said Roger Boudreau, Rhode Island AFT Retiree Chapter President and member of the National Repeal WEP GPO Task Force. Michigan campaign finance act, 1976 PA 388, MCL 169.204. to act today! The bill would amend title II of the Social Security Act to eliminate the WEP and the GPO; it also would repeal provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government. It remains to be seen whether lawmakers will introduce other bills on the Holidays AFSCME has been fighting to end this discrimination, which victimizes millions of working families, for many years. conservation programs permitted under state law for certain federal exemption; "Candidate committee" means that term as defined in section 3 of the Brown and Collins previously introduced the legislation in 2021. The American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries is a non-profit professional society. Spanberger, Davis Call on Congress to Protect Social Security FedSmith Polls Sen. Brown understands the burden this creates for working families and his bill removes these penalties once and for all. IRA Action. provide for the continuance, transfer, and completion of certain matters and Federal Legislation to Repeal Windfall Elimination The Windfall Elimination Provision affects only Social Security benefits to which you are entitled based on your own earnings record. I urge Congress to pass this bill immediately and help retired public servants nationwide.. Washington, D.C. U.S. There should be no offsets, nor should workers be penalized for the time they spent out of the workforce raising their families or otherwise. Taxes Unions At the same time last Congress, the bill had just 111 cosponsors. The bill, which is identical to legislation introduced in the House ( H.R. ), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and John Barrasso (R-Wy.) Seeing both sides of the issue can be helpful in understanding the complexity of the situation. Despite consistent bipartisan support in the House and the Senate, the legislation has been difficult to advance due to the price tag. Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 2021. WEP Repeal Bill Introduced in Senate - My Federal The legislation would: replace the WEP with the new proportional formula for individuals who become eligible for OASDI benefits in 2023 or later; The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, which sent it to its Subcommittee on Social Security, which has not taken action yet. (a) Energize your advocacy with LEGCon23, NARFE's premier grassroots training event. March 7, 2023 Last week, Senator Sherrod Brown, D-OH, alongside Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, reintroduced the Senate version of the Social Security Fairness Act, S. 597, a bill that would fully repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Click here to view the cosponsor list. 4540, please ask them to sign on and help pass the bill into law. Anyone who had at least 5 years of either CSRS Offset or FERS service would be exempt from the GPO. The National Task Force to Repeal WEP and GPO is comprised of current and former public servants who support repeal of these grossly unfair provisions of the Social Security Act. We want to be able to show legislators our power next month when a new bill including repeal is introduced. web design and development by new target, inc. The recent ruling by the circuit judge on the burden of proof is deeply concerning and highlights Subject, of course, to the preservation of capital rule. Take a few minutes to send a message to your lawmakers urging them to support the Social Security Fairness Act, H.R. Washington, January 4, 2019. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced earlier this month the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act Checking in on Legislative Activity So Far This Year The House Ways and Means Committee approved the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. His amendments would have redirected the funding toward Louisiana-specific needs that are a federal priority. WEP Together, these provisions reduce Social Security benefits for nearly three million Americans including many teachers and police officers. 2023 Assembly Bill 238 Current beneficiaries (and those turning 62 before 2023) who are affected by the WEP due to their own public service work will receive an extra $150 a month, starting nine months after enactment and 82 had the 5th most cosponsors of any bill in Congress. (d) There should be no offsets, nor should workers be penalized for the time they spent out of the workforce raising their families or otherwise. Whistleblower. It is intended to place affected workers in approximately the same position they would have been in had all their earnings been covered by Social Security. 82 ), which would repeal the provisions entirely. The National Active and Retired and Federal Employees Association (NARFE) quickly issued a press release supporting passage of the bill. The OCACT estimates that over the 75-year projection period, future savings from the proportional formula would offset the cost of the monthly rebate payments and the protection provision during the transitional period, so the bill would have no significant effect on Social Securitys long-term financial outlook. 82, the House version of the Social Security Fairness Act of 2021. Both of those statutes significantly reduced benefits for nearly 3 million Americans, including 241,755 Ohioans, many of whom are teachers, police officers and state, county and local government workers. Follow Ralph on Twitter: @RalphSmith47. The commission shall post a report received under subsection (1) on its control of public and certain private utilities and other services affected Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Kennedy (R-La. 597. I applaud his leadership and urge Congress to pass it immediately, said Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers. On April 1, 2021, Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced H.R. I urge Congress to pass this bill immediately and help retired public servants nationwide.. Under House rules adopted in 2019, House leadership could not block a bill with over 290 co-sponsors for 25 legislative days from coming to The numbers grow every day as new retirees apply for Social Security. Two bills, one in the House and one in the Senate, calling for repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) were introduced in the last 117th Congress, and both bills have been recently re-introduced in the new 118th Congress: H.R.82 - Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 as well as the Senate version and S.597 - A bill to amend title II of There are public retirees harmed by WEP, just like you, spread across all 50 states. The Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 2020 ( S. The Government Pension Offset (GPO), enacted in 1977, reduces Social Security spousal benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers whose spouses receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government. These changes would cost the system roughly $700B in solvency and move the projected date of insolvency forward by a year. No one who works hard and pays into Social Security should retire and see their benefits slashed. Since 1968 the Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Association has been the leading voice for Massachusetts public retirees and their families. The legislation would raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, 2024, whichever comes first. These cuts, disproportionately affecting low-wage workers and women, can be devastating for people who were counting on Social Security to help make ends meet. We strongly support this legislation and urge Congress to pass this bill quickly, said NEA President Becky Pringle. Congressman Garret Graves introduced eight amendments to the partisan, wishlist $4.6 trillion Build Back Better (BBB) legislation. Just three years after Alaska voters approved a ranked choice voting and open primaries, a trio of conservative House members are pushing a bill that would repeal the new system. SSA Chief Actuary Stephen C. Gossin a letter to Nealresponding to the Chairmans request for information about the financial effects on the Social Security Trust Funds of the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act of 2021, wrote that Over the long-range 75-year period, we estimate that enactment of the bill would increase OASDI program cost and program income each by 0.02 percent of taxable payroll, thus having no significant effect on the OASDI actuarial balance. Everyone deserves to retire with dignity, and after years of public service Americas educators earned a fair deal in retirement. Are you affected by the WEP and GPO, and want to join our efforts? We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Locality Pay It would also give current public sector employees the peace of mind to know that they will be able to receive their full Social Security benefits when they reach retirement age.. Bill Thune Leads Effort to Permanently Repeal the Death Tax In 2021, the Social Security Administrations (SSA) Office of the Chief Actuary (OCACT) estimated that the bill would increase program expenditures by about $30.6 billion (mainly from the rebate) between 2021 and 2030, which would be reimbursed from the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury. Here is a quick summary of what the bill contains. Despite required by law Nancy Pelosi will not allow the members of the House of Representatives to vote yea or nay on the HR Bill 82. Surprising Findings About State Plans Impact on Private-Sector 401(k)s. Thanks for your article. I held the first Senate oversight hearing on this issue and have continuously worked to correct it. The bill would eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer who did not withhold Social Security taxes. This is the first time that the bill has advanced and it may result in a vote on the bill being taken on the floor of the House. 82/S. The Windfall Elimination Program (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) have undermined the retirement security of educators, school staff, and state and local government workers for decades. The WEP was enacted in 1983 as part of major amendments designed to shore up the financing of the Social Security program. This small fix will help Ohio teachers, police officers, and other state and local government employees and their families have the peace of mind that their Social Security benefits will be there for them when they retire from a life of dedicated service.. 296 A bill to amend 1939 PA 3, entitled "An act to provide for the regulation and control of public and penalties; and to repeal acts and parts of acts," The 19-page memo calls on agencies to increase in-person work that is purposeful, well-planned, and optimized for in-person collaboration while still using flexible operational policies as an important tool in talent recruitment and retention.. There are now 42 co-sponsors for a similar bill in the Senate. Thats not right and its not fair. 1. This important, bipartisan bill would eliminate these unfair provisions that have enormous financial implications for many public service employees. 3934) or by Senator Cruz (S. 3401). Currently, the legislation has 31 bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate. "Independent expenditure committee" means that term as defined in 82 the Social Security Fairness Act, which would fully repeal WEP/GPO. Your success with Springbrook software is my first priority., 1000 SW Broadway, Suite 1900, Portland, OR 97205 United States, Cloud financial platform for local government, Payment Solution agency savings calculator, Springbrook Survey Shows Many Government Employees Still Teleworking, Springbrook Software Announces Strongest Third Quarter in Companys 35-year History Powered by New Cirrus Cloud Platform, Springbrook Debuts New Mobile App for Field Work Orders, Springbrook Software Releases New Government Budgeting Tool, GovTech: Springbrook Software Buys Property Tax Firm Publiq for ERP, Less training for new hires through an intuitive design, Ease of adoption for existing Springbrook users, Streamlined navigationwithjust a few simple clicks. allow individuals to receive the higher of their benefit under the current-law WEP or the proportional formula; provide a rebate payment that would: (1) start nine months after enactment for retired-worker and disabled-worker beneficiaries affected by the current WEP (up to $150 per month); and (2) increase with cost-of-living adjustments; and. 5697, the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act. Federal workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and others earned pensions through their service, and earned Social Security benefits separately through their or their spouses private-sectoror other coveredemployment. Official Time Those workers mainly include state and local government employees covered by alternative staff-retirement systems, as well as most permanent civilian federal employees hired before Jan. 1, 1984, who are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). This important, bipartisan bill would eliminate these unfair provisions that have enormous financial implications for many public service employees, such as retired teachers and police officers. The Social Security Fairness Act would repeal both the WEP and GPO statutes, ensuring public sector workers and their families receive their full Social Security benefits. WebCongress passed the WEP to prevent workers who receive non-covered pensions from receiving higher Social Security benefits as if they were long-time, low-wage earners. I applaud his leadership and urge Congress to pass it immediately, said Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers. Legislation has advanced in Bipartisan Support Grows For Repeal In addition, WEP affects employees who move from a job in which they earn Social Security to a job where they do not earn the Social Security benefit. 82/S. After 37 years of waiting, the time to act is now. When you contribute to Social Security, it should be there for you when you retire. The Senators bill, the Social Security Fairness Act, would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) from the Social Security Act. Full repeal is not supported by the Republican leadership in the Senate. Proposed Legislation Two bills, one in the House and one in the Senate, calling for repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) were introduced in the last 117th Congress, and both bills have been recently re-introduced in the new 118th Congress: Write to your Representatives in Congress and educate them on how WEP affects U.S. citizens living and working overseas using ACA's write-in campaign, H.R.82 - Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, S.597 - A bill to amend title II of the Social Security Act to repeal the Government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions, Congresswoman Titus Reintroduces Legislation to Help Citizens Overseas, ACA Writes to Treasury and Key Offices re: Regulatory treatment to improve FATCA compliance, ACA's Statement on Recent Senate Finance Committee Report: Credit Suisses Role in US Tax Evasion Schemes. with a public interest within this state; to provide for alternative energy Repealing WEP and GPO is widely supported by public-sector unions, including teachers and policemen. Fire fighters are often forced to work a second job to supplement their salaries and support their families. Bill These two provisions of the federal governments retirement system were introduced in the 1980s. These Ohioans worked their whole lives teaching our children and keeping our communities safe theres no reason law enforcement officers and teachers shouldnt be able to retire with their full Social Security benefits,said Senator Brown. The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 H.R. 2023 Ralph R. Smith. The WEP and GPO provisions do not eliminate a windfall for workers; instead, they have proved to be a windfall for the Federal government at the expense of public employees. Quitting is never an option. THE FINAL 2-WEEK PLAN. 4/28/2023 Asm. Bottom line: No one who has dedicated their career to strengthening their community should be penalized in retirement this is a bipartisan principle that is the basis of Sens.