[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 73 (Monday, April 29, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REVITALIZATION AND SELF-GOVERNMENT IMPROVEMENT ACT 
               OF 1977 TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS ACT OF 2024

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 29, 2024

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the National Capital 
Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 Technical 
Corrections Act of 2024, which would address several retirement issues 
for current and former District of Columbia employees that resulted 
from the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government 
Improvement Act of 1997 (Revitalization Act). The Revitalization Act, 
among other things, transferred several categories of employees who 
were in the D.C. retirement system to the federal retirement system and 
the federal government took over paying for the pension benefits earned 
by teachers, police officers, firefighters, and judges before 1997.
  The Revitalization Act transferred several categories of employees, 
primarily related to D.C.'s criminal justice system, who participated 
in D.C.'s defined contribution plan from 1987 to 1997 to the Federal 
Employees Retirement System (FERS). However, these employees' service 
from 1987 to 1997 was not counted for purposes of creditable service or 
annuity amount in FERS. In 2009, Congress passed legislation counting 
this service for creditable service, but not annuity amount. This bill 
would allow these employees to buy into the FERS annuity amount for 
1987 to 1997 by paying 1.3 percent of their base pay plus interest, 
essentially the employee contribution for this time, which would give 
them the full retirement benefit to which they should be entitled.
  Second, this bill would address two benefit issues for employees in 
the teachers, police officers, and firefighters pension plans, whose 
pre-1997 benefits are funded by the federal government. In 2018, D.C. 
enacted a law to provide domestic partner benefits for the police and 
firefighters pension plan, which mirrored a law already enacted for 
teachers. However, these domestic partner benefits apply only to 
service accrued after 1997, since the federal government funds pre-1997 
benefits. This bill would make the domestic partner benefits available 
for pre-1997 benefits, too.
  Finally, in 2012, D.C. enacted the Equity in Survivor Benefits 
Amendment Act, which reduced from age 60 to 55 the age after which a 
surviving spouse may remarry without losing survivor benefits for those 
in the teachers, police, and firefighters pension plans. However, these 
survivor benefits apply only to service accrued after 1997, since the 
federal government funds pre-1997 benefits. This bill would bring those 
pre-1997 benefits in line with both the post-1997 benefits and the 
retirement benefits for federal employees in the Civil Service 
Retirement System or FERS and make an analogous change for D.C. judges, 
whose retirement benefits are funded by the federal government. In 
general, for federal retirees, 55 is the age after which a surviving 
spouse may remarry without losing survivor benefits.
  This bill is an important step to assist these workers in getting the 
retirement benefits they deserve. I urge my colleagues to support this 
bill.

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