Legislative Update for Week Ending June 12, 2019
It was busy and humid on Capitol Hill this week with Congress quickly coming up on its August recess. The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see continued support on H.R. 141, The Social Security Fairness Act and H.R. 1553, The Fair COLA for Seniors Act. Additionally, the League was contacted and asked for support on pending legislation coming out of Congressman Lawson’s office.
New Support for Key Legislation
H.R. 141, legislation that would repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, added several new co-sponsors. H.R. 1553, The Fair COLA for Seniors Act also added one co-sponsor. The League continues to heavily advocate on behalf of both these bills and is keeping an eye out for any hearings that may come up on these important issues.
New Social Security Legislation to Watch For
Congressman Al Lawson’s (D-5-FL) office is planning to re-introduce its Social Security for Future Generations Act. This bill, if passed into law, would extend the student benefit age from 18 to 22, provide for an updated benefit formula for widows and widowers, change the COLA calculation method from the CPI-W to the CPI-E (a more accurate measure of spending), apply the payroll tax to wages above the 250,000.00 maximum and provide a special minimum benefit to workers who had low earnings.
In the Future
Keep an eye out! The Senior Citizens League will soon start publishing the Social Security platform of the Presidential Candidates! So far there have been few who have wanted to be on the record on this “third rail of politics” issue. But, the League will keep you informed on who thinks what should be done in the arena of Social Security Reform and Preservation!
