In a voice vote, the Senate passed an amendment by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., to the fiscal 2007 budget resolution that would fix two inequities in the Survivor Benefit Plan. First, the amendment would eliminate the dollar-for-dollar reduction of SBP annuities incurred by some 61,000 surviving military spouses who receive Dependents Indemnity Compensation. Second it would end SBP premium payments on Oct. 1, 2006, for military retirees age 70 or older who have paid the premiums for 30 or more years. Although current law stops those payments at 30 years, it doesn’t take effect until Oct. 1, 2008, which will require 198,000 retirees to pay premiums for as many as 36 years. The budget resolution is only an internal congressional document that itself is never enacted into law; however, Senate support on the proposals at this stage of the budget process is an indicator of its intent for action later on bills that could become law. The corresponding House bill to end the SBP offset is Rep. Henry Brown’s (R-S.C.) HR-808. The paid-up SBP bill is Rep. Jim Saxton’s (R-N.J.) HR-968.