After a bill passes Congress there is a certain process that must be followed when it is transmitted to the President for his signature. That is why the extra time is needed at this point. .Congress is considering comprehensive immigration reform that would provide work authorization and with it, valid Social Security numbers, to an estimated 12 million immigrants working in this country illegally.(3) In 2004 Congress passed the Social Security Protection Act (P.L. 108-203) requiring immigrants to have work authorization at the time a SSN is assigned or at some later time, in order to become entitled under Social Security. (4) .Second, six new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 521, H.R. 141), bringing the cosponsor total up to thirty in the Senate and 163 in the House of Representatives. The new cosponsors are: Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA), Senator Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), Representative Colin Allred (TX-32), Representative Elaine Luria (VA-2), Representative Susan Davis (CA-53), and Representative Sean Casten (IL-6). .The term "Notch" refers to the disparity in Social Security benefits paid to people born from 1917 through 1926 and those paid to people born before and after them with similar work/earnings records. Many of those born during the Notch period feel they have not been treated fairly and are not receiving the benefits that Congress intended. On the other hand, the Social Security Administration (SSA), some government officials, and the AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) say that those born during the Notch period are treated fairly and receiving the benefits that Congress intended. The SSA and the AARP say that Social Security does not promise a specific amount of benefits, rather Social Security is designed to replace a certain percentage of pre-retirement earnings. Who is correct? .Case 2— A man born in Mexico worked under his father's SSN for 9 years and then had these wages transferred when he acquired his own SSN before collecting retirement benefits. From 1999 to 2002 he collected approximately ,441 in retirement benefits, including benefits for dependents based on his account. Estimated benefits over 20 years — ,300. .To address this issue, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (AZ), suggested that the Committee focus on waste, fraud, and abuse, since it's a topic that generally has bipartisan support. He stated, "Some people fear the solution has to be a cut in benefits. There may be very substantial savings that can be achieved through efficiencies." Most at the hearing seemed to agree with him. .What is the current status of the Notch issue? .The rule would require drug companies to give Medicare beneficiaries rebates that now go to insurers and PBMs. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates it would increase taxpayer costs by 7 billion over 10 years. .Although it's illegal for immigrants to work in this country without a valid Social Security number, millions of illegal workers readily obtain forged or invalid Social Security numbers and show them to employers to get jobs. Employers use the invalid Social Security numbers for reporting earnings to the Social Security Administration.