House approves bill to bolster Social Security benefits for millions of public service workers

Source: Scripps News

Posted 12:29 PM, Nov 13, 2024


The House of Representatives approved a bipartisan bill on Tuesday that would increase social security benefits for millions of public service workers. The chamber approved House Resolution 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, by a 327-76 margin, with 191 Democrats and 136 Republicans voting in favor. The measure now goes to the Senate.

Proponents of the bill say that nearly 2.8 million public service workers, including teachers, police officers and others in government, would be eligible for larger Social Security payments upon retirement. If approved, the bill would eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset for government workers.

The Windfall Elimination Provision reduces the Social Security benefits of someone who also receives a public pension from a job not covered by Social Security. The Government Pension Offset reduces spousal Social Security benefits by two-thirds of a worker's government pension. Reps. Garret Graves, R-Louisiana, and Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, were among the lawmakers who sponsored the bill.

"By passing the Social Security Fairness Act, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives showed up for the millions of Americans — police officers, teachers, firefighters, and other local and state public servants — who worked a second job to make ends meet or began a second career to support their families after retiring from public service," Graves and Spanberger wrote in a joint statement. "A bipartisan majority of the U.S. House voted to provide a secure retirement to the hundreds of thousands of spouses, widows, and widowers who are denied their spouses’ Social Security benefits simply because they chose careers of service."

Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/congress/house-approves-bill-to-bolster-social-security-benefits-for-millions-of-public-service-workers

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This is a biggy for public service workers! The WEP was enacted under Raygun in 1983, so it's been around for 40 years. Just needs Senate approval and off to Biden's desk.