[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 214 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 214

    Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President and the 
Congress should save Social Security as soon as possible and vigorously 
     safeguard Social Security surpluses, and that the President's 
 Commission to Strengthen Social Security should recommend innovative 
 ways to protect workers' financial commitment without benefit cuts or 
                         payroll tax increases.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 2, 2001

     Mr. Shaw (for himself, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Crane, Mrs. Johnson of 
 Connecticut, Mr. Houghton, Mr. Herger, Mr. McCrery, Mr. Camp, Mr. Sam 
Johnson of Texas, Ms. Dunn of Washington, Mr. Collins, Mr. Portman, Mr. 
    English, Mr. Watkins of Oklahoma, Mr. Hayworth, Mr. Weller, Mr. 
 Hulshof, Mr. McInnis, Mr. Lewis of Kentucky, Mr. Foley, Mr. Brady of 
Texas, Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin, Mr. Brown of South Carolina, Mrs. Capito, 
  Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Dreier, Mr. Goss, Mr. Horn, Mr. 
Miller of Florida, Mr. Nethercutt, Mr. Ose, Mr. Platts, Mr. Peterson of 
 Pennsylvania, Mr. Putnam, Mr. Scarborough, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Stearns, 
Mr. Sweeney, Mr. Watts of Oklahoma, Mr. Wamp, and Mr. Young of Florida) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President and the 
Congress should save Social Security as soon as possible and vigorously 
     safeguard Social Security surpluses, and that the President's 
 Commission to Strengthen Social Security should recommend innovative 
 ways to protect workers' financial commitment without benefit cuts or 
                         payroll tax increases.

Whereas Social Security provides essential income security through retirement, 
        disability, and survivor benefits for over 45,000,000 Americans of all 
        ages, without which nearly 50 percent of seniors would live in poverty;
Whereas Social Security is of particular importance for low earners, especially 
        widows and women caring for children, without which nearly 53 percent of 
        elderly women would live in poverty;
Whereas each payday, American workers send their hard-earned payroll taxes to 
        Social Security and in return are promised income protection for 
        themselves and their families upon retirement, disability, or death, and 
        that commitment must be kept;
Whereas Social Security payments to beneficiaries will exceed worker 
        contributions to the trust fund beginning in 2016, as demographics, 
        including the aging baby boom generation and increasing life 
        expectancies, will result in fewer workers per beneficiary and threaten 
        Social Security's essential income safety net with financial instability 
        and insolvency;
Whereas deferring action to save Social Security will result in a loss of public 
        confidence in the program, will increase the likelihood of spending cuts 
        to other essential programs, and will expose beneficiaries, particularly 
        those with low earnings, to poverty-threatening benefit cuts or reduce 
        workers' take home pay through burdensome payroll tax increases;
Whereas workers' ability to save and invest for their own retirement will 
        continue to be particularly important, especially for younger workers, 
        to enhance their own retirement security; and
Whereas the President should be commended for recognizing that Social Security 
        is not prepared to fully fund the retirement of the baby boom and future 
        generations and for establishing the President's Commission to 
        Strengthen Social Security, which will report its recommendations this 
        fall: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the Sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the President and the Congress should save Social 
        Security as soon as possible;
            (2) Social Security surpluses must be vigorously 
        safeguarded and used only for purposes of saving Social 
        Security or reducing the publicly held debt; and
            (3) the President's Commission to Strengthen Social 
        Security, recognizing the immense financial commitment of every 
        American worker into the Social Security system, should present 
        in its recommendations innovative ways to protect that 
        commitment without benefit cuts or payroll tax increases.
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