I want to thank retired Lt. Dean Stone for forwarding the following information regarding a U.S. House bill; H.R. 82 & Senate bill S. 1302. Both of these bills are in regards to repealing WEP & GPO which drastically reduce our Social Security benefits. Please read the below information and contact your respective U.S. Representative & U.S. Senators.
NARFE has pushed for years to repeal the unfair Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) penalties, but we’ve never been closer to forcing a House vote. H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, would repeal both WEP and GPO. It now has 276 bipartisan cosponsors – just shy of the 290-mark needed to queue it up for a House vote. Contact your Representative today to urge his or her support – or thank your legislator for backing the bill. Your efforts could help push us over the finish line on this effort.
Per a relatively new House rule, any bill with 290 cosponsors can be added to the House Consensus Calendar. Once on, it is teed up for a vote if it maintains those 290 cosponsors or more for 25 legislative days (essentially, days when the House is in session). If we can reach the 290-cosponsor number for H.R. 82 before the end of July, we may have a chance at a floor vote prior to the end of the 117th Congress.
Retirees can use NARFE’s toll-free advocacy call center at 1-800-456-8410 option #5 to call their Representative. This phone script includes instructions on placing the call and talking points on the issue. Before calling, members should check here to see if their Representative is already a cosponsor of the bill, so you know whether to thank your lawmaker or urge cosponsorship.
We’re also targeting Representatives we believe to be most likely to add their names to the bill through meeting requests from NARFE’s lobbyists and advocacy leaders throughout the country. We’re close, but the last mile towards a House vote will be the toughest stretch.
The WEP and GPO both penalize individuals who have dedicated their careers to public service – as well as their spouses – by taking away the Social Security benefits they have earned. The WEP affects more than 2 million beneficiaries, while the GPO affects more than 723,000 people, 48 percent of whom are widows/widowers and 52 percent of whom are spouses. People who work tirelessly to earn retirement income and benefits, whether through employment covered by Social Security or by paying a tax toward an annuity, shouldn’t be penalized and deserve to collect all their benefits when they retire. If you are affected by the WEP and GPO, join NARFE’s call-to-action and urge your Representative to cosponsor this critical bill if he or she is not yet a cosponsor.
There is a companion bill in the Senate; S 1302. Call/email your U.S. Senators to urge passage of the Senate bill.
