Hutchison and Brady Introduce Legislation to Protect Social Security for Teachers, Public Servants

Press Release

Hutchison and Brady Introduce Legislation to Protect Social Security for Teachers, Public Servants

U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, and U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), a member of the Ways & Means Committee, today are reintroducing The Public Servant Retirement Protection Act, (S.1647 and H.R. 2772).

The measure repeals the current Windfall Elimination Provision which docks the Social Security of teachers and other public servants who also earned retirement from a substitute system like the Texas Teacher Retirement System. The bill replaces the WEP with a formula that gives equal treatment to public servants for the years they contributed to Social Security, returning an estimated $8 billion to workers impacted today.

"Teachers, first responders and public service workers in Texas carefully plan for their late years. They deserve to receive benefits that are calculated accurately," said Sen. Hutchison. "This legislation is the next step toward ensuring comprehensive Social Security benefits for all Americans."

"This bill guarantees public servants keep the Social Security they earned while they paid into Social Security," said Rep. Brady, a member of the Social Security sub-committee. "If you earn two pensions you should receive two pensions just like everyone else."

When a worker's career history includes jobs covered by Social Security and jobs in a Social Security substitute, the government docks the Social Security check by up to $340 a month. This new bill accurately tailors the Social Security benefit to each worker for the wages and years they contributed to Social Security and to the substitute, thereby increasing the benefit for 887,000 workers now impacted by the Windfall Elimination Provision.

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