[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 113 (Thursday, June 18, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S3100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petition or memorial was laid before the Senate and was 
referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-204. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Louisiana urging the United States Congress to 
     take such actions as are necessary to review the Government 
     Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision Social 
     Security benefit reductions and to consider eliminating or 
     reducing them by supporting H.R. 141 and S. 521 of the 116th 
     Congress, the Social Security Fairness Act; to the Committee 
     on Finance.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 34

       Whereas, the Congress of the United States of America has 
     enacted both the Government Pension Offset (GPO), reducing 
     the spousal and survivor Social Security benefit, and the 
     Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), reducing the earned 
     Social Security benefit, payable to any person who also 
     receives a public pension benefit earned in public employment 
     not covered by Social Security; and
       Whereas, the GPO can negatively affect a retired public 
     employee receiving a federal, state, or local government 
     retirement or pension benefit earned in employment not 
     covered by Social Security who would also be entitled to a 
     Social Security benefit earned by the retiree's spouse; and
       Whereas, the GPO formula reduces the spousal or survivor 
     Social Security benefit by two-thirds of the amount of the 
     federal, state, or local government retirement or pension 
     benefit received by the retired public employee, in many 
     cases completely eliminating the Social Security benefit even 
     though the retiree's spouse paid Social Security taxes 
     throughout the marriage; and
       Whereas, according to the Congressional Research Service, 
     nearly seven hundred thousand people were affected by the GPO 
     in December 2018, including more than thirty-seven thousand 
     Louisianians; and
       Whereas, the WEP applies to those persons who have earned 
     federal, state, or local government retirement or pension 
     benefits in public employment not covered by Social Security, 
     in addition to paying social security taxes while working in 
     employment covered by Social Security; and
       Whereas, the WEP reduces the earned Social Security benefit 
     using an averaged indexed monthly earnings formula and may 
     reduce Social Security benefits for affected persons by as 
     much as one-half of the retirement benefit earned as a public 
     servant in employment not covered by Social Security; and
       Whereas, the WEP causes hardworking individuals to lose a 
     significant portion of the Social Security benefits that they 
     earned themselves; and
       Whereas, according to the Congressional Research Service, 
     nearly two million people, or about three percent of all 
     Social Security beneficiaries were affected by the WEP in 
     December 2019; and
       Whereas, in certain circumstances both the WEP and the GPO 
     can be applied to a qualifying survivor's benefit, each 
     independently reducing the available benefit and, in 
     combination, eliminating a large portion of the total Social 
     Security benefit available to the survivor; and
       Whereas, because of the calculation characteristics of the 
     WEP and the GPO, they have a disproportionately negative 
     effect on employees working in lower-wage government jobs, 
     like teachers, school workers, and state employees; and
       Whereas, the number of people affected by the WEP and the 
     GPO is growing as nearly ten thousand baby boomers attain 
     retirement age each day; and
       Whereas, individuals drastically affected by the WEP and 
     the GPO may have no choice but to return to work after 
     retirement in order to make ends meet, but the earnings 
     accumulated during reemployment in the public sector may 
     further reduce the Social Security benefits the individual is 
     entitled to; and
       Whereas, the global pandemic, the current financial market 
     volatility, medical advances increasing longevity, and the 
     escalating cost of health care further contribute to the 
     expenses that those of social security age must bear; and
       Whereas, the WEP and the GPO are established in federal 
     law, and repeal or reduction of the WEP and the GPO can be 
     enacted only by Congress. Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 
     memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions 
     as are necessary to review the Government Pension Offset and 
     the Windfall Elimination Provision Social Security benefit 
     reductions and to consider eliminating or reducing them by 
     supporting H.R. 141 and S. 521 of the 116th Congress, the 
     Social Security Fairness Act; and be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution shall be 
     transmitted to the secretary of the United States Senate and 
     the clerk of the United States House of Representatives and 
     to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United 
     States Congress.

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