Today, December 20, the United States Senate voted to pass H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), with a vote of 76 yeas and 20 nays!
After 42 years of being punished for their public service, Texas education employees, police officers, firefighters, and many other public servants will FINALLY receive the benefits they earn and deserve!
Today’s victory marks a new era of retirement security for existing and future Texas Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) retirees. With restored Social Security benefits, many will be able to pay for medications, go to the grocery store, and attain life’s necessities with a little more comfort.
TRTA has opposed the WEP and GPO since inception. Our members have advocated for complete repeal for decades!
Today, those efforts, the investment of association resources, the time away from families, the thousands of phone calls, emails, and letters, the miles walked around Washington, D.C., and the days spent on Capitol Hill have all paid off!
Texas public school employee retirees and pre-retirees, as well as other public workers, are now FREE of this burden with the WEP and GPO eliminated!
TRTA will continue to cover this breaking news as H.R. 82 is prepared to go to the White House for a signature by President Joe Biden. That signature will officially end the WEP and GPO and this unfair, arbitrary havoc causing a retirement security nightmare will finally come to an end for TRS retirees.
When Will Retirees See Their Benefits Restored?
Many of you reading this will probably have one simple question: When will I get my Social Security benefits restored?
The direct answer is that steps will need to be taken to recalculate Social Security benefits for more than three million retired education employees and other public workers around the country. That may take some time, but that process will start as soon as the President signs the bill and the implementation date is reached. TRTA will have more details on when retirees can expect their restored Social Security benefits in the coming weeks.
A Huge Thank You!
TRTA wants to thank many people, organizations, and groups who have worked tirelessly on the effort to repeal WEP and GPO.
TRTA has partnered most closely in Texas with our friends at the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE). On a national level, TRTA’s connection to the Massachusetts (Mass) Retirees Association has been vital to our work.
These two organizations have been side-by-side with TRTA during our advocacy events and meetings. Leaders from these organizations often made the rounds on Capitol Hill, stood in the rain with us during rallies, braved the snow, suffered icy conditions, and so much more to help us reach this success!
We also thank our fellow retired teacher associations around the country, as well as our friends with Fraternal Order of Police, International Association of Firefighters, and all organizations representing organized labor who stepped up to push for full repeal of the WEP and GPO.
TRTA also thanks our State Legislative Coordinators, past and present, including Bill Barnes, Tonna Duke (posthumously), Nancy Byler, Larry Yawn, and Dr. Mary Widmier. These volunteer leaders stood in the gap between Texas and Washington, D.C. to carry the message of how WEP and GPO impact their fellow retirees. Their voices were loud and true, forcing Congress to open their ears and minds to the problems caused by WEP and GPO.
TRTA also wants to thank every state leader who has served as a TRTA board member and leader since the WEP and GPO was created. These visionaries knew then, as we all know today, that WEP and GPO were arbitrary and unfair. They made the investments in our legislative activities to allow TRTA to be the national force it needed to be so that this day would be possible.
It goes without saying that we absolutely could not have done this without you, our TRTA members! Your dues of $35 per year fund our advocacy! It allows us to fight for you, hire professional staff and legislative experts, and fly to Washington, D.C. to be where it all happens. YOU made this possible. Your dues amplified our collective voice so we could be heard in Texas, Washington, D.C., and around the country!
YOU MADE THE REPEAL OF WEP AND GPO A REAL VICTORY!
The price of victory on this issue is now one of eternal vigilance. What we know today is not guaranteed to last forever. So long as groups and think tanks oppose public educators and public workers, there will always be a threat to diminish what we have done. The ONLY way to keep these victories intact is to have a POWERFUL force of education retirees continuing to invest in this organization. TRTA is your voice and the protector of your retirement security.
We hope you can see the value in your association. Please ask others to join us. It will take all TRS retirees working with us and making the investment necessary in this organization to protect what we have achieved today.
Please support us today and renew your membership dues! If you are not a member, please join today! It may be the best $35 you spend every year to protect and improve your livelihood and income as we continue to fight for your retirement security!
We hope this news brings the happiest of news to you and your family this holiday season!
If you are not a member, please join today! It may be the best $35 you spend every year to protect and improve your livelihood and income as we fight for your retirement security!
