BILL: Increase Social Security Benefits for Public Sector Workers - Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 - H.R.82
Do you support increasing Social Security benefits?
The Bill
H.R.82- Social Security Fairness Act of 2023
Bill Status
- Introduced by Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA): March 9, 2023
- Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) is the lead Democratic sponsor
- The bipartisan bill had seven original co-sponsors and currently has 197 co-sponsors
- Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means: March 9, 2023
- House and Senate: Not yet voted
- President: Not yet signed
Bill Overview
- The bill would ensure that public sector employees like firefighters, police officers, teachers, and their families, receive full Social Security benefits regardless of other benefits they are entitled to receiving.
- The bill would repeal provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals already receiving other benefits, like a state or local government pension.
- The changes proposed in the bill will be effective for benefits payable after Dec. 2023.
- The Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) from the Social Security Act. Both provisions were aimed at reducing high payouts and retirement windfalls.
- The bill is identical to the Senate version of the bill, the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 597), reintroduced by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) on March 1.
What's in the bill?
A fairer way of calculating payments
- When calculating payments, Social Security only takes into consideration covered employment.
- When an individual is employed by a non-covered, public sector employer that does not pay into Social Security, it appears that they have a much lower income and reduces the benefits they are entitled to.
Eliminates the Windfall Elimination Provision
- The bill eliminates the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), enacted in 1983, which reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who received a pension from a job in which they did not pay Social Security taxes.
- WEP impacts approximately two million Social Security beneficiaries.
Eliminates the Government Pension Offset
- The bill will also eliminate the Government Pension Offset (GPO), enacted in 1977, which reduces Social Security benefits for spouses and widows who already receive a pension of their own.
- The offset currently impacts approximately 780,000 retirees.
What the sponsors say
"Our teachers, police officers, firefighters, emergency responders, and other local and state public servants – and their spouses or survivors – have been wrongly penalized. We will keep fighting to get them the full retirement benefits they paid for, including those who have already retired. We're not giving up."
"I am looking forward to finally righting this wrong and making sure America's federal employees, teachers, police officers, and firefighters receive the retirement security they deserve."
"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."
- She continued:
"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."
Concerns
- In 2022, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that a full repeal of WEP would cost the government $88 billion over a decade, and GPO would cost the government $107 billion over a decade.
- Ways and Means Chairman, Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), said:
"You know me, I care about protecting Social Security. So I challenge them to help us come up with, if you do repeal it, how do you pay for it so it's not on the backs of seniors."
Do you support increasing Social Security benefits?
—Emma Kansiz
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Deficit created GOP Republican Party !!!!! A race to the bottom, for corporate profits and greed.
I did several thankless jobs for the State of Florida where I never earned more than $35,000. Being a Child Abuse Investigator, Juvenile Probation Officer and licensing Nursing Homes are not glamorous and rarely rewarding positions. To now find out I am being cheated out of the benefit that I have seen on my Social Security statement yearly is a unbelieveable. I know the original legislators had good intentions, but those of us who worked in the public sector are not getting a huge amount to begin with. Please repeal these unfair laws.
What about those of us out here almost bankrupted by interest rate increases, by inflated prices on almost everything we need to survive. Millions of seniors depend on money that will meet the need of daily living. Millions of us need to be considered too. Many were also public servants when we worked snd contributed. I hope you thought about us and are writing legislation for us. Retirement is not easy street any more like it used to be. Come live with some of us to see what is REALLY going on.
The new deal was started because of the Republican controlled house, senate and presidency, ran the roaring 1929's in to the ground. In the 1920's President Harding changed the tax code on the rich from 90% to 25% and by the end of the 20's we end up in a depression. FDR started the new deal investing in America and embracing unions. Unions brought on 40 hour
Everyone that pays into Sicisl Security and meets the requirements on the number of years if contributions should be eligible like everyone else to receive social security benefits.
And since Congress is a Public Sector employer, all retirement funds should be rolled over to the Social Security Pension fund and congressional retirements should be social security and Medicare. If they participated in these programs they'd manage them better.
If those employees pd. into Soc. Sec. and meet the wk. quarter requirements, as well as other Soc, Sec. requirements, then they should receive their full benefits-PERIOD!!!!!
Mr. Reagan already hosed government employees. I had my eligiblity for Sicial Securty prior to becoming a government employee. But I retired from the government. Went back to work outside the government. Worked for another 11 years. When I talked with Social Securty person, they gave me an estimate, but when I told her I was CRCS, her reply was "your screwed". Yes, if you paid in and qualify, you should receive it all. No matter where you were employed prior or afterwards.
Thank you! I've been an educator over 27 years, but have worked other jobs, as well. I have enough credits to collect social security, however my benefits will be severely reduced because of my career path. I support this bill, as it is fair.
There's no reason that public sector workers should receive less in Social Security benefits than other Americans, so I can support this.
Social Security is NOT enough, and nobody should be relying it for all their income in their senior years, but it should be distributed fairly and equally to all citizens who pay into it and qualify for this income.