Assembly Joint Resolution No. 10–Committee on
Health and Human Services

 

FILE NUMBER..........

 

Assembly Joint RESOLUTION—Urging Congress to amend the Social Security Act to modify certain reductions in social security benefits that are required for spouses and surviving spouses who are also receiving certain federal, state or local government pensions.

 

   Whereas, In 1977, Congress enacted the Government Pension Offset

 (GPO) to treat government pensions and survivor annuities as if they were

 social security benefits; and

   Whereas, Congress amended the GPO in 1983 by enacting a provision

 requiring that the social security benefits of a person receiving a federal,

 state or local government pension from work not covered by social

 security be offset or reduced by an amount that is equal to two-thirds of

 the government pension; and

   Whereas, The GPO can affect any retiree who receives a federal, state

 or local government pension and social security benefits, but primarily

 affects widows and widowers eligible for spousal benefits; and

   Whereas, Since its inception, more than 305,000 retired federal, state

 and local government employees have had their benefits fully or partially

 reduced by the GPO; and

   Whereas, Approximately 70 percent of those persons affected by the

 GPO are women, of whom more than 89,000 are widows; and

   Whereas, Statistics show that the average loss in retirement benefits

 for those persons affected by the GPO is nearly $350 per month, with

 widows experiencing the highest average monthly loss of approximately

 $477; and

   Whereas, Unintentionally, the GPO has harmed a disproportionate

 number of women who are federal, state and local government retirees

 with moderate and lower incomes by dropping many of them below the

 poverty line in their retirement years; and

   Whereas, During the 107th session of Congress, Representative

 William Jefferson of Louisiana introduced H.R. 664, a bill that would

 modify the GPO by allowing spouses and surviving spouses who are also

 receiving certain federal, state or local government pensions to receive a

 minimum of $1,200 per month before the two-thirds offset could be

 imposed; and

   Whereas, This targeted reform is designed to help the most serious

 victims of the GPO, those federal, state and local government retirees with

 the lowest government pensions who are primarily women; now,

 therefore, be it

   Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of Nevada,

 Jointly, That the members of the Nevada Legislature hereby urge

 Congress to amend the Social Security Act to provide that the reductions

 in social security benefits which are required for spouses and surviving

 spouses who are also receiving certain federal, state or local government

 pensions must be equal to the amount by which two-thirds of the total

 amount of the combined monthly benefit and monthly pension exceeds

 $1,200; and be it further

   Resolved, That the passage of H.R. 664 will restore fairness and

equity to the most vulnerable federal, state and local government retirees at

 a relatively low cost of approximately $2 billion over 5 years, thereby

 entitling those persons who have worked diligently their entire lives to

 reap the fruits of their labor after retirement; and be it further

   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly prepare and transmit

 a copy of this resolution to the Vice President of the United States as the

 presiding officer of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of

 Representatives and each member of the Nevada Congressional

 Delegation; and be it further

   Resolved, That this resolution becomes effective upon passage.

 

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