ENROLLED
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 9
BY REPRESENTATIVES MIKE JOHNSON, ADAMS, AMEDEE, BACALA, BAGLEY,
BEAULLIEU, BOURRIAQUE, BROWN, BUTLER, ROBBY CARTER,
CORMIER, COX, DAVIS, DESHOTEL, DUPLESSIS, ECHOLS, EMERSON,
FIRMENT, FREEMAN, FRIEMAN, GADBERRY, GAROFALO, GREEN,
HARRIS, HILFERTY, HORTON, HUGHES, ILLG, IVEY, JEFFERSON,
JENKINS, TRAVIS JOHNSON, JONES, LACOMBE, LARVADAIN, LYONS,
MACK, MCCORMICK, MCFARLAND, MCMAHEN, MIGUEZ, DUSTIN
MILLER, GREGORY MILLER, MINCEY, MOORE, NELSON, CHARLES
OWEN, PIERRE, PRESSLY, RISER, ROMERO, SCHAMERHORN, SELDERS,
STAGNI, TARVER, THOMAS, THOMPSON, WHEAT, WRIGHT, AND
ZERINGUE AND SENATORS BERNARD, FIELDS, HENSGENS, ROBERT
MILLS, PEACOCK, PRICE, TALBOT, AND WOMACK
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To memorialize the United States Congress to support S.521 of the 116th Congress, the
Social Security Fairness Act, and to take such actions as are necessary to review and
consider eliminating provisions of federal law which reduce Social Security benefits
for those receiving pension benefits from federal, state, or local government
retirement or pension systems, plans, or funds.
WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States of America has enacted both the
Government Pension Offset (GPO), reducing the spousal and survivor Social Security
benefit, and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), reducing the earned Social Security
benefits payable to any person who also receives a public pension benefit; and
WHEREAS, the GPO negatively affects a spouse or survivor receiving a federal,
state, or local government retirement or pension benefit who would also be entitled to a
Social Security benefit earned by a spouse; and
WHEREAS, the GPO formula reduces the spousal or survivor Social Security benefit
by two-thirds of the amount of the federal, state, or local government retirement or pension
benefit received by the spouse or survivor, in many cases completely eliminating the Social
Security benefit even though their spouses paid Social Security taxes for many years; and
WHEREAS, the GPO has a harsh effect on hundreds of thousands of citizens and
undermines the original purpose of the Social Security dependent/survivor benefit; and
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WHEREAS, according to recent Social Security Administration figures, more than
half a million individuals nationally are affected by the GPO; and
WHEREAS, the WEP applies to those persons who have earned federal, state, or
local government retirement or pension benefits, in addition to working in employment
covered under Social Security and paying into the Social Security system; and
WHEREAS, the WEP reduces the earned Social Security benefit using an averaged
indexed monthly earnings formula and may reduce Social Security benefits for affected
persons by as much as one-half of the retirement benefit earned as a public servant in
employment not covered under Social Security; and
WHEREAS, the WEP causes hardworking individuals to lose a significant portion
of the Social Security benefits that they earn themselves; and
WHEREAS, according to recent Social Security Administration figures, more than
one and a half million individuals nationally are affected by the WEP; and
WHEREAS, in certain circumstances both the WEP and the GPO can be applied to
a qualifying survivor's benefit, each independently reducing the available benefit and in
combination eliminating a large portion of the total Social Security benefit available to the
survivor; and
WHEREAS, because of the calculation characteristics of the GPO and the WEP, they
have a disproportionately negative effect on employees working in lower-wage government
jobs, like policemen, firefighters, teachers, and state employees; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana is making every effort to improve the quality of life of its
citizens and to encourage them to live here lifelong, yet the current GPO and WEP
provisions compromise their quality of life; and
WHEREAS, the number of people affected by GPO and WEP is growing every day
as more and more people reach retirement age; and
WHEREAS, individuals drastically affected by the GPO or WEP may have no choice
but to return to work after retirement in order to make ends meet, but the earnings
accumulated during this return to work can further reduce the Social Security benefits the
individual is entitled to; and
WHEREAS, the GPO and WEP are established in federal law, and repeal of the GPO
and the WEP can only be enacted by congress.
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions as are necessary to review the
Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision Social Security benefit
reductions and to consider eliminating or reducing them by supporting S.521 of the 116th
Congress, the Social Security Fairness Act.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Congress of the
United States of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional delegation.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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