Jan. 2—WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, the Senate passed U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s bipartisan legislation that will ensure that public servants and their families can receive full Social Security benefits after two previous statutes reduced them.
Brown’s bill, the Social Security Fairness Act, will repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset from the Social Security Act. Both of those statutes significantly reduced benefits for nearly 3 million Americans, including 241,755 Ohioans, many of whom are police officers, firefighters, bus drivers, teachers and state, county and local government workers.
The legislation now heads to the president’s desk.
Brown, D-Ohio, has been fighting to pass the Social Security Fairness Act since he served in the U.S. House of Representatives. He first became the Democratic lead on the bill in 2015, when the bill only had 20 cosponsors the prior Congress. This year, the bill had 62 cosponsors and passed the Senate with 76 votes. During the past two years, Brown secured the support of the Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-New York.
“We have spent decades working to pass this legislation and tonight is a victory for all the public servants who will finally get the Social Security they have earned,” Brown said. “Tonight, Congress ensured that police officers, firefighters, teachers, and public servants across Ohio will be able to retire with the Social Security they spent their lives paying into.”
The Windfall Elimination Provision, enacted in 1983, reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who receive pensions from a federal, state or local government for employment not covered by Social Security.
The Government Pension Offset, enacted in 1977, reduces Social Security spousal benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers whose spouses receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government. Together, these provisions reduce Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million Americans — including many teachers and police officers.
In June, Brown held a field hearing in Columbus, where Ohio public servants testified to the urgent need to pass his bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, legislation that will repeal two provisions of current law that unfairly reduce the Social Security benefits that public employees earn.
Brown worked across the aisle to secure 62 Senate cosponsors in support of the legislation. The U.S. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the legislation in November.
