Social Security Reform Measure Expected

The head of the House Social Security subcommittee, Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., is expected to reintroduce in the new Congress a Social Security reform bill he first offered a year ago that includes reform of the government pension offset provision. The GPO reduces the Social Security spousal or survivor benefits by $2 for each $3 the recipient gets in an annuity from a retirement program that doesn’t include Social Security, such as CSRS retirement. Shaw’s measure would reduce the GPO offset to $1 for $3, increasing the benefits of an estimated half of those currently affected by the GPO. Although Shaw sponsored the bill, he did not move it out of his subcommittee in the recently concluded Congress, where members were reluctant to touch Social Security.