A repeal bill offered in the prior Congress attracted more than 300 bipartisan House sponsors and for the first time moved out of the committee level but it never reached a floor vote. Image: larry1235/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA bill (HR-82), to repeal the windfall elimination provision and the government pension offset, which apply under the CSRS system now has a majority of House members as cosponsors, 232, with 165 Democrats and 67 Republicans.
The WEP reduces a Social Security benefit the person earned through other employment—typically before or after a federal career but in some cases during a career through work on the side—if the person had less than 30 years of earnings above a designated level that this year is $29,700. The maximum reduction works out to above $500 a month and is not as severe for those with between 20 and 30 years of such earnings.
The GPO reduces Social Security spousal or survivor benefits by $2 for each $3 the beneficiary receives in an annuity from a retirement system that does not include Social Security. In many cases, the effect of the GPO is to eliminate a spousal or survivor Social Security benefit through a spouse’s Social Security-covered employment.
The bill is the latest targeting those two provisions have been offered since they first were created as part of the Social Security changes of the 1980s. Those proposals have included a mix of bids to repeal them outright—which the latest bill would do effective in calendar year 2024—or to soften the reductions.
A repeal bill offered in the prior Congress attracted more than 300 bipartisan House sponsors and for the first time moved out of the committee level but it never reached a floor vote.
The Senate counterpart, S-597, has 38 cosponsors including four Republicans.
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