Despite a record level of support in the House for “The Notch Fairness Act,” the legislation remains “bottled up” in committee by a handful of powerful opponents.  TSCL isn’t going to let elected lawmakers get away with this.  We’re going all out to build enough co-sponsors to bring the legislation to the floor for a vote.

In recent months, we hand delivered letters to every Member of the House who was a previous Notch Reform supporter but who had not already signed on as a co-sponsor of “The Notch Fairness Act” in this session of Congress.  We followed that with e-mails to each and every one.  After that, we faxed them asking for their support.  Then we started all over again. 

Sign our Notch Reform Petition now!

The effort is paying off.  Some 118 Members of Congress, a record level of supporters, believe that the time has come to allow Notch Babies or survivors who receive benefits on their account a choice of a $5,000 lump sum, payable in four annual installments, or an improved monthly benefit.

Does your member support this bill?

Major Social Security and Medicare legislation can take years of effort to become law.  Although Social Security became law in 1935, Medicare, for example, took another 30 years — even though the first government health insurance bill was introduced at the same time in 1935.

And no matter how often you may think that Congress is simply waiting for all “Notch Babies to die, so the problem with die with them,” Congress cannot escape the issue.  Our elected lawmakers will continue to be confronted with Notch issues in dealing with Social Security reform proposals.  Estimates of the benefits payable under some of these proposals when charted on a graph indicate that Congress could “give birth” to whole new generations of Notch Babies in the future. 

We continue to press Congress to move on “The Notch Fairness Act” before the end of this year.  It is through your continued contact with Members of Congress, and generosity, that the support for resolving the Notch inequity is at the highest level than more than a decade.  TSCL members and supporters can rest assured that we won’t sit quiet and let Congress turn their backs in hope that the Notch will quietly die away.

Source:  “Social Security History: Chronology of Significant Events Leading to Enactment of Medicare,” Social Security Administration, August 28, 2006.

November 2006