Repeal of Offsets Moving Forward

Committee Chair Assures Movement in Current Session

U.S. House of Representatives sponsors of the legislation to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) have received firm assurances that GPO/WEP legislation will move through committee this year.

Movement through the panel is an essential step in getting the measure to the floor of the House for a vote and final passage.

Representatives Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Howard Berman (D-CA), sponsors of the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 594), reported they received the assurance from Clay Shaw (R-FL), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Social Security.

Cosponsors lined up in both Senate, House

Assurances that action will be taken represent a major victory for NEA members. Members and NEA and state affiliate lobbyists have been battling for years to repeal the unfair GPO and WEP Social Security offsets. NEA will continue to work closely with Chairman Shaw, as well as with Representatives McKeon and Berman and with the U.S. Senate sponsors.

In the Senate, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is the lead sponsor of and has introduced the NEA-backed Social Security Fairness Act of 2003 that would completely eliminate the GPO and WEP. The Senate bill has been steadily gaining cosponsors throughout the current session.

With cosponsors adding up to a clear majority of the total in the House, the effort to repeal the offsets has attracted more support than in any previous session of Congress.

A resolution (H.Res. 523) seeking a "discharge petition" was introduced in the House. NEA considered supporting the petition, which is a procedural mechanism designed to force stalled legislation out of committee. However, Representatives Berman and McKeon do not believe the petition is necessary in light of Rep. Shaw's promise, so NEA decided not to pursue the petition route for now.

Send a message to Congress

Everyone who supports fairness in Social Security can easily send a message to ask their U.S. Representatives and Senators to support the Social Security Fairness Act.

NEA has praised the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs for conducting a hearing on the offset issue. A Sept. 24 hearing helped set the stage for NEA's "National Day to Repeal Social Security Offsets" last fall on Oct. 1, when more than 160 members from 47 states converged on Capitol Hill. In addition, more than 8,000 phone calls and 6,500 e-mail messages to Congress were logged in.

 A hearing was held in the House of Representatives in May 2003.

The GPO penalizes individuals who have dedicated their lives to public service, often at substantial financial sacrifice. Nationwide, more than one-third of teachers and education employees, and more than one-fifth of other public employees, are not covered by Social Security, and are, therefore, subject to the Government Pension Offset. These individuals lose benefits earned by their spouses -- benefits they counted on in planning their retirement.

Offset harshest for those who can least afford loss

The Government Pension Offset (GPO) reduces public employees' Social Security spousal or survivor benefits by two-thirds of their public pension. Estimates indicate that 9 out of 10 public employees affected by the GPO lose their entire spousal benefit, even though their deceased spouse paid Social Security taxes for many years. Moreover, these estimates do not include those public employees or retirees who never applied for spousal benefits because they were informed they were ineligible.

The offset has the harshest impact on those who can least afford the loss: lower-income women. Ironically, those impacted have less money to spend in their local economy, and sometimes have to turn to expensive government programs like food stamps to make ends meet.

There are countless stories of hardship and some real tragedies caused by the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision amendments to the Social Security Act.

We urge you to read about just some of the countless stories of hardship and real tragedies suffered by our members because of the GPO and WEP.