[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15741]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




UNFAIRLY WITHHOLDING TEACHERS' SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS EARNED THROUGH 
                          SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Conaway) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent thousands of 
teachers across west Texas who have dedicated their careers to 
educating and preparing our children for the future.
  As a former member of the Midland Independent School Board, I 
understand the impact these selfless individuals have on our 
communities. Unfortunately, we honor their service to our communities 
by unfairly withholding Social Security benefits that they have earned 
through secondary employment.
  While this policy, known as the windfall elimination provision, was 
well-intended, it has proven to be ill-conceived. Many educators have 
been harmed by the unintended consequences that have created 
uncertainty and put a damper on the otherwise joyous occasion of 
retirement.
  It is imperative that we solve this issue and give our Texas teachers 
the ability to collect the Social Security benefits that they deserve. 
I remain committed to working with my colleagues in the House to find a 
fair and equitable resolution to this issue to ensure that our 
educators have access to the Social Security benefits and pensions they 
most certainly have earned.

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