Dear NAPO Members,
House leadership found a path forward for H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, and it is on the House suspension calendar for Tuesday, November 12. This means that the bill will be voted on that evening (after 6:30pm) and will need to get 290 votes to pass (two-thirds majority of the House). Unfortunately, Leadership, to appease Representatives Harris and Good, also placed H.R. 5342, the Equal Treatment for Public Servants Act, on the suspension calendar for Tuesday. H.R. 5342 is a competing bill that does not repeal the GPO and WEP but replaces the WEP with a new Social Security benefit formula designed to more accurately account for years a public employee paid into Social Security versus the years paid into a public pension system in a non-Social Security covered position.
NAPO supports similar WEP reform legislation (H.R. 4260, Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act), which is more generous than H.R. 5342, but we do not support this move by leadership to try to take votes away from H.R. 82. We have come too far with the Social Security Fairness Act to consider a lesser, compromise bill now. With 330 cosponsors and 218 members of Congress supporting the discharge petition, we have the momentum. We just need to keep it up.
We ask you to please reach out to your Representative and urge them to vote for H.R. 82 on Tuesday. Nothing less than the repeal of the GPO and WEP is acceptable at this point. A staff contact list is attached. Congressional offices are closed Monday for Veterans Day, so emails are appreciated or phone calls Tuesday morning.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need more information.
Thank you!
Andrea Edmiston
Director of Governmental Affairs
National Association of Police Organizations
317 S. Patrick Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
aedmiston@napo.org
www.napo.org
Please see the attached PDF document below for a list of representatives and contact information.
