With the strong support and vote of Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), the House of Representatives today passed (327-75) the Social Security Fairness Act (HR 82) to repeal two unjust provisions known as the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) that penalize police officers, firefighters, teachers and other public servants by unfairly reducing their Social Security benefits.

            “It is egregiously unfair that our fellow Americans who have spent substantial portions of their careers serving their communities are punished by having their benefits cut in this way,” said Smith, a cosponsor of the bill. “This critical legislation will help restore fairness to the retirement program for the millions of Americans who deserve their hard-earned benefits.”

            Currently, the WEP and GPO reduce the benefits of nearly 3 million Americans who also receive a public pension from a job not covered by Social Security or who have a spouse employed by federal, state, or local government in a job that is not covered by Social Security.

            In September, Smith signed a discharge petition to advance the bill directly to the House Floor for a vote after the bill stalled in the House Ways and Means Committee despite its overwhelming bipartisan support. The petition, which received the required number of 218 signatories, enabled the bill to move to the House Floor without needing further committee action.

            “The urgent need to repeal the WEP and GPO completely is why I have been a proud cosponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act since it was first introduced last January and why I signed the discharge petition to ensure it received its well-deserved consideration by the House of Representatives,” Smith said.

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