Congressional Corner from Representative John Shimkus: Seniors Deserve Their Full Earned Benefits

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Congressional Corner from Representative John Shimkus: Seniors Deserve Their Full Earned Benefits

By Representative John Shimkus (R-IL)

Public employees, under current law, have their Social Security benefits reduced if they receive a government pension. This is not fair. In addition, a husband or wife (or a widow or widower) may receive lower Social Security spousal or survivors’ benefits because of the civil service pension of his or her spouse. This is also not fair.

These laws, often called the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, mean a reduction in Social Security benefits of individuals who have committed themselves to public service: police officers, teachers, firefighters and many others; as well as their spouses or widows and widowers. The law makes it less desirable for fine men and women to choose such noble professions, because they have to consider the reduction in their incomes during their golden years.

Early in this Congressional session, many Members of Congress—myself included—made the first step toward changing this inequity. On February 5, 2003, Rep. Howard McKeon (R-CA) and Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced the Social Security Fairness Act, H.R. 594. I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of this strongly bipartisan legislation.

Because public employees often receive less compensation than private employees do to begin with, they face a second inequity when they retire. They collect a lower pension than their private sector counterparts prior to their Social Security benefit being reduced. Why are we stacking the deck against those individuals who are protecting our communities and teaching our children?

The Government Pension Offset (GPO) reduces Social Security benefits or benefits for spouses (and widows/widowers), equal to two-thirds of the spouse’s public employment civil service pension—this could be by $3,600 or more, and it could be the difference between a fairly comfortable retirement and having to cut corners.

We should be doing more, not less, to attract top-notch individuals to public service. This bill, I believe, is one measure that would help to do so. H.R.594 currently has 232 co-sponsors. The lead co-sponsors are hopeful that the bill can either pass as freestanding bill or incorporated into a broader bill. You can be sure that I will be there too, fighting for fairness for our seniors!

September 2003