TSCL Gears Up For Busy New Year
By Jessie Gibbons, Legislative Assistant
After a much-anticipated mid-term election and an active "lame duck" session on Capitol Hill, the 114th Congress has officially begun and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) is gearing up for another busy year. With the November elections behind them, lawmakers will finally be able to focus on some of the complex policy issues that sit high on their agendas, like deficit reduction, Social Security reform, and an overhaul of the immigration system.
As with the start of any new Congress, TSCL is encouraging Senators and Representatives to reintroduce and cosponsor key legislation for seniors, like the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act, the Strengthening Social Security Act, the Notch Fairness Act, and the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act. In addition, with comprehensive Medicare and Social Security reform on the minds of many deficit hawks, TSCL is working diligently to prevent harmful cuts that would affect your benefits.
TSCL's legislative agenda for the next two years includes the following issues, among others:
- Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment – Ensure a fair, accurate, and guaranteed COLA.
- Social Security Notch Reform – Work towards benefit equality for Notch victims.
- Immigration Reform – Close a loophole that pays Social Security benefits based on illegal work, preventing a drain on the Social Security Trust Fund.
- Affordable Care Act – Monitor the continued implementation of the law as it affects older Americans.
- Doc Fix for Medicare Providers – Establish a permanent solution in order to bring greater stability to doctor reimbursements, ensuring continued access.
- Prevention of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse – Ensure that scarce Medicare and Social Security dollars are spent properly.
- Social Security Reform – Work for solutions that extend the Trust Fund's solvency and strengthen the program without enacting harmful cuts.
- Medicare Reform – Protect beneficiaries from changes that would impose greater out-of-pocket costs on beneficiaries.
TSCL's all-volunteer Board of Trustees and legislative team look forward to working with both new and veteran lawmakers this year on the issues that matter the most to our members and supporters. We will work tirelessly throughout the 114th Congress to ensure that Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries receive the retirement security they have earned and deserve.
Click here for more information about our legislative agenda. There you can also sign a petition to your Members of Congress, view bills that have been recently introduced in the House and Senate, and stay updated with the latest news on Capitol Hill.
