West Massachusetts News

On June 21, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) reintroduced his legislation, the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act of 2023, to fix the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). The bill provides meaningful relief to current WEP retirees and fixes the WEP for future retirees, ensuring public servants can retire with the security, dignity, and peace of mind they deserve:

“The WEP negatively affects 2 million retired public servants across the country, including almost 90,000 in Massachusetts, and our firefighters, teachers, and police officers deserve relief,” said Ranking Member Neal. “The Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act garnered broad bipartisan support in the 117th Congress because public employees not miss out on the Social Security benefits they earned over decades of hard work. With this legislation, these valued members of our communities will have greater retirement security and peace of mind.”

Under the bill, current WEP retirees will receive $150 a month in relief payments. In addition, for future retirees, the legislation establishes a new, fairer formula that will pay Social Security benefits in proportion to the share of a worker’s earnings that were covered for Social Security purposes. This provision is coupled with a benefit guarantee ensuring no benefit cuts relative to current law for all current and future retirees.

Originally, the WEP was intended to equalize the Social Security benefit formula for workers with similar earnings histories, both inside and outside of the Social Security system. However, in practice, it unfairly penalizes many public employees. The much-needed reforms in this bill provide meaningful WEP relief to current retirees and public employees, while treating all workers fairly and ensuring no harm to the Social Security Trust Fund.

The following materials are available on the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act of 2023:

• Overview of the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act of 2023
• Section-by-section summary
• Bill text
• Estimate from the Social Security Administration Chief Actuary

The bill was endorsed by the following organizations in the 117th Congress:

• National Organizations: Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA), National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), Social Security Works; American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), International Union of Police Associations (IUPA), National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), National Association of Government Employees (NAGE), National Education Association (NEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), Public Retirees Alliance, United Postmasters and Managers of America (UPMA), National Association of Retired ASCS/FSA Office Employees (RASCOE), National Conference of State Social Security Administrators (NCSSSA).

 

• State and Local Organizations: AFT-Massachusetts, Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), Brentwood Police Officers’ Association, California Retired County Employees Association (CRCEA), California Teachers Association, California Teachers Association/National Education Association—Retired, Colorado Education Association, Foothill-De Anza Community College District Police Officers Association, Illinois Education Association, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Kentucky Education Association, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA), Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police (LACP), Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT), Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association (LSA), Maine Association of Retirees, Maine Education Association, Mass Retirees, Massachusetts Coalition of Police (Mass COP), Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union (MCOFU), Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists (MOSES), Massachusetts Police Association (MPA), Massachusetts Teachers Association, National Education Association—Alaska , National Education Association—Rhode Island, New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA), Oakland Police Officers’ Association (OPOA), Ohio Education Association, Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS), Police Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM), Retired Educators Association of Massachusetts (REAM), Richmond Police Officers Association, Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA), Texas State Teachers Association , Vallejo Police Officers’ Association, Western States Sheriffs’ Association (WSSA).

 

The bill has the following original cosponsors:

 

• Representatives Allred, Auchincloss, Barragán, Beatty, Beyer, Blumenauer, Blunt Rochester, Bonamici, Boyle, Brownley, Carson, Chu, Clarke, Connolly, Courtney, Cuellar, Davis (IL), Dean, DelBene, Doggett, Evans, Garamendi, García (IL), Garcia (TX), Golden, Gomez (CA), Grijalva, Hayes, Higgins (NY), Horsford, Huffman, Johnson (GA), Kaptur, Keating, Kelly (IL), Khanna, Kildee, Kilmer, Kim (NJ), Krishnamoorthi, Larson, Lee (CA), Leger Fernández, Lofgren, Lynch, Matsui, McBath, McCollum, McGovern, Menendez, Mfume, Moore (WI), Moulton, Napolitano, Neguse, Norton, Pallone, Panetta, Pascrell, Payne, Pettersen, Phillips, Pingree, Pocan, Pressley, Ross, Ruiz, Ruppersberger, Sánchez, Sarbanes, Schakowsky, Schneider, Sewell, Sherman, Sherrill, Slotkin, Smith (WA), Strickland, Takano, Thompson (CA), Titus, Tlaib, Tokuda, Tonko, Trahan, Underwood, Vargas, Veasey, Velázquez, Watson Coleman, Wexton, Williams (GA), Wilson (FL).

Original source can be found here.