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April 18, 2005
WE HAVE A COMPANION BILL
On March 14, 2005 Senator Feinstein reintroduced the Social Security Act to repeal the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision, S 619.
This is the companion bill to Rep. McKeon H R 147 to repeal the GPO/WEP.
As of April 18, 2005 the House bill has 239 cosponsors, 300 cosponsors last year. Think about it two years to gain 300 signers and four months to reach 239 cosponsors. WE HAVE A POSITIVE SIGN. Senate bill S. 619 has 14 cosponsors; last year count was 30.
NEW COSPONSORS
Rep. David Hopson--R (937) 325-0407
Dennis Kucinich--D (216)228-8850
Previous Cosponsors:
Sherrod Brown--D (800) 234-6413 Please keep newsletters for
Paul Gillmor--R (419) 448-9016 future reference information.
Marcy Kaptur--D (419) 259-7500 Steve La Tourette--R (440) 352-3939
Bob Ney--R (740) 699-2704
Timothy Ryan--D (330) 740-0193
Ted Strickland--D (740) 376-0868
Michael Turner--R (937) 225-2843
WHO IS NOT SUPPORTING THE GPO/WEP REPEAL AND THEREFORE NOT SUPPORTING PUBLIC RETIREES
John Boehner--R (513) 779-5400
Steve Chabot--R (513) 684-2723
Michael Oxley--R (419) 423-3210
Deborah Pryce--R (614) 469-5614
Ralph Regula--R (330) 489-4414
Patrick Tiberi--R (614) 523-2555
Stephanie Jones--D (216) 522-4900
1-800-307-8525 AARP to contact the D C office.
I have included the telephone numbers and ask that you call and thank your representative for signing Rep. McKeon’s bill H R 147. Assure them you will remember their support when they ask for your support in the next election. For the non signers they need to hear from you and ask them if perhaps they have forgotten to cosponsor H R 147. Assure them you, your family and your friends will remember their support or non support in the next election. It’s a two way street!!
I LOST MY REPRESENTATIVE
The one name missing from the above list is Rep. Rob Portman. You probably have read that President Bush has appointed him as the next U.S. trade representative. After his April 22nd hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) felt the full Senate should vote on Mr. Portman’s nomination before May 3rd.
The appointment has been held up because Sen. Evan Bayh, (D-IN) introduced a bill to fight unfair trade with China and like our situation the committee has continued to ignore his bill. A single senator can prevent a bill or nomination from reaching the Senate floor for a vote and Sen. Bayh has said he will block the vote on this nomination unless the Senate leadership brings up his bill for a vote. Our Sen.Voinovich is urging the Senate to reach a deal with Sen. Bayh, perhaps by bringing up his bill for a vote. Now isn’t that DEMOCRACY in action. There is no doubt that Rob Portman will be confirmed as he is well respected in Congress and in his earlier years he was a trade attorney at a Washington-based law firm before being elected to Congress in 1993. Doesn’t this sound familiar a bill is introduced but never receives an up or down vote? Isn’t it ironic that bills to repeal GPO/WEP have been introduced and reintroduced for years only to continue to die in Congress?
“The chairmen of the 13 subcommittees in the House Appropriations Committee shape the federal government’s 13 major spending bills. They can fund or kill pet projects of constituent’s, contributors and colleagues. They have so much clout they are called “The Cardinals”
Cincinnati Enquirer 12-4-02
WE FACE ANOTHER PROBLEM
I have learned from S E R S that there is a movement to introduce mandatory participation of state and local employees in Social Security. When the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision was introduced the goal was to have all public workers pay Social Security. The thinking was this could help the fund to remain solvent. However 15 states, including Ohio, decided not to join but to maintain the public pension system we have today. We enjoy higher benefits and better medical coverage by remaining out of Social Security. All five public pensions are well managed and continue to give us good coverage. Sen. Voinovich has always been against mandatory SS. He is again supporting us as stated in his March 2, 2005 letter to Chairman Charles Grassley Senate Finance Committee asking that public employees not be forced into the SS system. He states “Further more forcing public employees into the Social Security system against their will does nothing to improve the long term health of the program. Stephen Goss, Chief Actuary for Social Security and Douglas Eakin, Director of the Congressional Budget Office, confirmed this fact during a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on February 1st. In response to questions from the committee these gentlemen explained that contributions from the public employees would only add a small amount to the Social Security trust fund and the SS benefits earned by pubic employees would put an additional strain on the system when they retired” Have they not learned when Congress included public employees in the past that was not the answer to solving the Social Security deficit?
The Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert was contacted by Ohio representatives pointing out in their letter to force mandatory Social Security on all public employees would weaken the solvency of the state and local government employees’ benefits. “Over 5 million teachers, police, firemen and state employees could lose higher benefits if they were forced to be covered under Social Security.”
The following directors contacted our Representatives asking they not support mandatory Social Security.
Richard A. Curtis, Highway Patrol Retirement System
William J. Estabrook, Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund
Laurie F. Hacking, Public Employees Retirement System
Damon F. Asbury, State Teachers Retirement System
James R. Winfree, School Employees Retirement System
Because AARP is advocating mandatory Social Security William Novelli, Chief Executive Officer received a letter from SERS voicing the various reasons why public employees should not be forced into Social Security. If you are a member of AARP you might want to ask them to please help us and not take up positions that are not in our best interest.
In January Gov. Schwarzenegger, (CA) vowed to scrap guaranteed pensions for teachers and public employees hired after 2007. He feels new employees would have to accept “defined-contribution” plans such as 401 (k s). Legislators in other states either have introduced bills or are studying whether to follow Gov. Schwarzenegger’s lead. Since California very often is a leader in new events we could be seeing the biggest threat to our public pensions. So here is another letter we can write… hands off our hard earned public pensions.
The only answer to solving the Social Security lack of funds is to pass a law preventing Congress from dipping into the surplus and leaving IOUs that will never be paid. The other two reasons why Social Security is in trouble: companies moving their businesses to other countries and some companies are outsourcing jobs. One does not have to be a genius to figure out the less people working here the less Social Security tax is paid into the fund.
Well I finally completed the April newsletter with two days to spare. Just for your information in the 10 years I was a social worker, I procrastinated dictating my client contacts for months because I hated to sit down and write. Good to know my personality hasn’t changed in my old age.
Take care,
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