[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5578]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 SOCIAL SECURITY PROTECTION ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 5, 2003

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in reluctant opposition to H.R. 743, 
the Social Security Protection Act. While this bill contains many 
provisions worthy of support, it also removes the only means by which 
many widowed Texas public school teachers can receive the same spousal 
social security benefits as every other American. As I am sure my 
colleagues are aware, widowed public school employees in Texas, like 
public employees throughout the nation, have their spousal social 
security reduced if they receive a government pension. The Government 
Pension Offset even applies if the public employee in question worked 
all the quarters necessary to qualify for full social security benefits 
either before or after working in the public school system!
  The effect of the Government Pension Offset is to punish people for 
teaching in public schools! However, current law provides widowed Texas 
public school teachers a means of collecting the full social security 
spousal benefits. Unfortunately, this bill removes that option from 
Texas teachers. Since I believe the Congress should repeal the 
Government Pension Offset by passing H.R. 524, which repeals both the 
Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision, 
another provision that denies public employees full social security 
benefits, I must oppose this bill.
  Instead of punishing public school teachers, Congress should be 
encouraging good people to enter the education profession by passing my 
Teacher Tax Cut Act (H.R. 613) which provides every teacher with a 
$1,000 tax credit, as well as my Professional Educators Tax Credit Act 
(H.R. 614), which provides a $1,000 tax credit to counselors, 
librarians, and all school personnel. Congress should also act to 
protect the integrity of the Social Security Trust Fund by passing my 
Social Security Preservation Act (H.R. 219), which ensures that Social 
Security monies are not spent on other programs. Congress should also 
pass my Social Security for American Citizens Only Act (H.R. 489), 
which ensures that noncitizens who have not worked the required number 
of quarters and illegal immigrants do not receive social security 
benefits.

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