Full Text of SR0476 93rd General Assembly
SR0476 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The Social Security Fairness Act of 2003 was | 3 |
| introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives on February | 4 |
| 5, 2003 as H.R. 594 and into the U.S. Senate on February 11, | 5 |
| 2003 as S. 439; and
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| WHEREAS, The Social Security Fairness Act of 2003 amends | 7 |
| title II of the Social Security Act to repeal the Government | 8 |
| Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision; and
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| WHEREAS, The Government Pension Offset was enacted in 1977 | 10 |
| and the Windfall Elimination Provision was enacted in 1983; and | 11 |
| WHEREAS, The majority of public employees affected by the | 12 |
| Government Pension Offset lost their entire spousal benefit | 13 |
| despite the fact that their spouses paid Social Security | 14 |
| contributions for many years; and | 15 |
| WHEREAS, An affected public employee loses an average of | 16 |
| $3,000 per year because of the Government Pension Offset; and | 17 |
| WHEREAS, The Windfall Elimination Provision causes public | 18 |
| employees to lose up to 60% of the benefits that they earned; | 19 |
| and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, According to the Social Security Administration's | 21 |
| actuaries, the long-term cost of eliminating both of these | 22 |
| provisions is negligible while the loss of income to affected | 23 |
| employees caused by these provisions forces some civil servants | 24 |
| into poverty; and | 25 |
| WHEREAS, These provisions discriminate against teachers, | 26 |
| police, firefighters, social workers, and other civil | 27 |
| servants; and |
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| WHEREAS, The State and national shortage of teachers, | 2 |
| police officers, and firefighters is exacerbated by these | 3 |
| provisions because they discourage people from entering and | 4 |
| staying in these professions; therefore, be it | 5 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL | 6 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the U.S. | 7 |
| Congress to pass the Social Security Fairness Act of 2003 or | 8 |
| other legislation that eliminates both the Government Pension | 9 |
| Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision; and be it | 10 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 12 |
| delivered to the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the | 13 |
| Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and each member | 14 |
| of the Illinois Congressional delegation.
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