| 1 | 1 | | 23 LC 126 0061 |
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| 2 | 2 | | H. R. 120 |
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| 3 | 3 | | - 1 - |
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| 4 | 4 | | House Resolution 120 |
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| 5 | 5 | | By: Representatives Mitchell of the 88 |
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| 6 | 6 | | th |
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| 7 | 7 | | , Burnough of the 77 |
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| 8 | 8 | | th |
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| 9 | 9 | | , Taylor of the 92 |
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| 10 | 10 | | nd |
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| 11 | 11 | | , Adeyina |
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| 12 | 12 | | of the 110 |
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| 13 | 13 | | th |
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| 14 | 14 | | , Glaize of the 67 |
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| 15 | 15 | | th |
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| 16 | 16 | | , and others |
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| 17 | 17 | | A RESOLUTION |
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| 18 | 18 | | Urging Congress to enact legislation to repeal the Government Pension Offset and the |
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| 19 | 19 | | 1 |
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| 20 | 20 | | Windfall Elimination Provision from the Social Security Act and for President Joe Biden to2 |
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| 21 | 21 | | sign that legislation into law; and for other purposes.3 |
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| 22 | 22 | | WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States of America has enacted both the Government4 |
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| 23 | 23 | | Pension Offset, which reduces the spouse and survivor Social Security benefit, and the5 |
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| 24 | 24 | | Windfall Elimination Provision, which reduces the earned Social Security benefit payable6 |
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| 25 | 25 | | to any person who also receives a public pension benefit; and7 |
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| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, the Government Pension Offset negatively affects a spouse or survivor who8 |
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| 27 | 27 | | receives a federal, state, or local government retirement or pension benefit who would also9 |
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| 28 | 28 | | be entitled to a Social Security benefit earned by a spouse; and10 |
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| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, the Government Pension Offset formula unfairly reduces the spouse's or11 |
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| 30 | 30 | | survivor's Social Security benefit by two-thirds of the amount of the federal, state, or local12 |
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| 31 | 31 | | government retirement or pension benefit received by the spouse or survivor, in many cases13 |
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| 32 | 32 | | complete eliminating the Social Security benefit even though the survivor's spouse paid14 |
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| 33 | 33 | | Social Security taxes for many years; and15 23 LC 126 0061 |
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| 34 | 34 | | H. R. 120 |
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| 35 | 35 | | - 2 - |
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| 36 | 36 | | WHEREAS, the Government Pension Offset has a harsh effect on hundreds of thousands of |
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| 37 | 37 | | 16 |
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| 38 | 38 | | citizens and undermines the original purpose of the Social Security dependent and survivor17 |
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| 39 | 39 | | benefit; and18 |
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| 40 | 40 | | WHEREAS, according to the Congressional Research Service, more than 700,000 people19 |
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| 41 | 41 | | nationally are affected by the Government Pension Offset and approximately 2,000,00020 |
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| 42 | 42 | | people nationally are affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision; and21 |
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| 43 | 43 | | WHEREAS, in certain circumstances, both the Windfall Elimination Provision and22 |
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| 44 | 44 | | Government Pension Offset can be applied to a qualifying survivor's benefit, each23 |
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| 45 | 45 | | independently reducing the available benefit and, in combination, eliminating a large portion24 |
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| 46 | 46 | | of the total Social Security benefit available to the survivor; and25 |
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| 47 | 47 | | WHEREAS, the calculation characteristics of the Government Pension Offset and the26 |
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| 48 | 48 | | Windfall Elimination Provision have a disproportionately negative effect on employees27 |
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| 49 | 49 | | working in important government jobs, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, and28 |
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| 50 | 50 | | state employees; and29 |
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| 51 | 51 | | WHEREAS, the challenges of the pandemic have added to recruitment and retention30 |
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| 52 | 52 | | challenges for these workforces, and those challenges are exacerbated by the penalties caused31 |
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| 53 | 53 | | by the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination provisions; and32 |
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| 54 | 54 | | WHEREAS, Georgia is making every effort to improve the quality of life of its citizens and33 |
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| 55 | 55 | | to encourage them to live in the state, yet the Government Pension Offset and Windfall34 |
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| 56 | 56 | | Elimination Provision compromise their quality of life; and35 23 LC 126 0061 |
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| 57 | 57 | | H. R. 120 |
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| 58 | 58 | | - 3 - |
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| 59 | 59 | | WHEREAS, the number of people affected by the Government Pension Offset and Windfall |
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| 60 | 60 | | 36 |
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| 61 | 61 | | Elimination Provision is growing every day as more and more people reach retirement age;37 |
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| 62 | 62 | | and38 |
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| 63 | 63 | | WHEREAS, individuals affected by the Government Pension Offset or Windfall Elimination39 |
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| 64 | 64 | | Provision may have no choice but to return to work after retirement in order to earn enough40 |
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| 65 | 65 | | income to provide for their basic needs, but the earnings accumulated during this return to41 |
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| 66 | 66 | | work can further reduce the Social Security benefits to which the individual is entitled; and42 |
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| 67 | 67 | | WHEREAS, the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision are43 |
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| 68 | 68 | | established in federal law, and the repeal of the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall44 |
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| 69 | 69 | | Elimination Provision can only be enacted by Congress.45 |
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| 70 | 70 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body46 |
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| 71 | 71 | | urge the United States Congress to enact legislation to repeal the Government Pension Offset47 |
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| 72 | 72 | | and the Windfall Elimination Provision from the Social Security Act and for President Joe48 |
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| 73 | 73 | | Biden to sign that legislation into law.49 |
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| 74 | 74 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed50 |
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| 75 | 75 | | to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the51 |
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| 76 | 76 | | press.52 |
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