[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 15 (Wednesday, February 16, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
     LET US GIVE SENIORS RELIEF FROM SOCIAL SECURITY EARNINGS LIMIT

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, Thomas Edison once said, there is no 
substitute for hard work. I think most of us in the chamber could agree 
with that. There is no substitute for the feeling of satisfaction after 
a hard day's work. Too often, work is something that many people take 
for granted. But one group of people who do not take work for granted 
is our seniors. Because of the Social Security earnings limit, working 
seniors can literally not afford to take work for granted. Because of 
the Social Security earnings limit, millions of working seniors are 
stripped of their Social Security benefits. Their crime is employment. 
Because they have a job, the government takes away the Social Security 
benefits that they have spent a lifetime earning.
  This is wrong. This is not fair. Last week, the House took the first 
step in giving relief to married couples who pay tax penalties because 
they are married. Now it is time to give relief to seniors who are 
penalized because they work. Let us all join together and give seniors 
relief from the Social Security earnings limit.

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