[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 30, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1272-E1273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       STATEMENT OF INTRODUCTION

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 30, 2014

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a bill to amend section 
218 of the Social Security Act to allow for the governments of Guam and 
American Samoa to enter into voluntary agreements for Social Security 
and Medicare coverage for their local government employees. This bill 
provides parity to Guam and American Samoa with each of the 50 states 
and other territories.
  Section 218 of the Social Security Act authorizes the Social Security 
Administration and State governments to enter into voluntary agreements 
to provide Social Security and Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) or 
Medicare HI-only coverage for State and local government employees. 
Under the current statute, the governments of the 50 states, Puerto 
Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are eligible to enter into these 
agreements with the Social Security Administration; however the 
District of Columbia, Guam, and America Samoa are specifically excluded 
from the definition of ``State'' for this section of the law. All 50 
states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have entered into a Section 
218 agreement to cover some or all of their government employees.
  Guam and America Samoa's exclusion from this section prevents our 
local governments from entering into a similar agreement with the 
Social Security Administration. It prevents government employees in 
Guam from receiving

[[Page E1273]]

Social Security benefits similar to what is provided to private sector 
employees on Guam who contribute to Social Security. The Guam 
Legislature unanimously passed a resolution requesting for me to 
introduce legislation that would remove Guam from the exclusion of the 
definition of ``State'' for Section 218. The Guam Legislature wishes to 
provide the government of Guam with the opportunity to enter into a 
Section 218 agreement to have their employees covered under Social 
Security. They have identified a local funding source to begin 
contributions to the Social Security Trust Fund.
  In closing, I urge support for this bill to rectify this inequity and 
provide government employees in Guam and American Samoa an equal 
opportunity to contribute into Social Security. I thank Congressman 
Faleomavaega for cosponsoring this bill, and I look forward to working 
with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance this 
legislation.

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