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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States of America has
3enacted both the Government Pension Offset, which reduces the
4spouse and survivor Social Security benefit, and the Windfall
5Elimination Provision, which reduces the earned Social
6Security benefit payable to any person who also receives a
7public pension benefit; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Government Pension Offset negatively affects
9a spouse or survivor receiving a federal, state, or local
10government retirement or pension benefit who would also be
11entitled to a Social Security benefit earned by a spouse; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The Government Pension Offset formula unfairly
13reduces the spouse or survivor Social Security benefit by
14two-thirds of the amount of the federal, state, or local
15government retirement or pension benefit received by the
16spouse or survivor, in many cases completely eliminating the
17Social Security benefit even though the survivor's spouse paid
18Social Security taxes for many years; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The Government Pension Offset has a harsh effect
20on hundreds of thousands of citizens and undermines the
21original purpose of the Social Security dependent and survivor
22benefit; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, According to the Congressional Research Service,
2more than 700,000 people nationally are affected by the
3Government Pension Offset and approximately 2,000,000 people
4nationally are affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, In certain circumstances, both the Windfall
7Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset can be
8applied to a qualifying survivor's benefit, each independently
9reducing the available benefit and, in combination,
10eliminating a large portion of the total Social Security
11benefit available to the survivor; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The calculation characteristics of the Government
13Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision have a
14disproportionately negative effect on employees working in
15lower-wage government jobs, such as police officers,
16firefighters, teachers, and state employees; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Illinois is making every effort to improve the
18quality of life of its citizens and to encourage them to live
19in the State, yet the Government Pension Offset and Windfall
20Elimination Provision compromise their quality of life; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The number of people affected by the Government

 

 

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1Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision is growing
2every day as more and more people reach retirement age; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Individuals affected by the Government Pension
4Offset or Windfall Elimination Provision may have no choice
5but to return to work after retirement in order to earn enough
6income to provide for their basic needs, but the earnings
7accumulated during this return to work can further reduce the
8Social Security benefits to which the individual is entitled;
9and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Government Pension Offset and Windfall
11Elimination Provision are established in federal law, and the
12repeal of the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall
13Elimination Provision can only be enacted by Congress;
14therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
16ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF
17REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the Congress
18of the United States to enact legislation to repeal the
19Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination
20Provision from the Social Security Act and for President Joe
21Biden to sign that legislation into law; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be sent

 

 

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1to the President of the United States, the Vice President of
2the United States, and the entire Illinois congressional
3delegation.