@GLFOP @FOPNATIONALNATIONAL FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE @GLFOP @FOPNATIONALNATIONAL FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE
It took 27 years, 13 Congresses, and hundreds of thousands of calls, letters, faxes, emails, and face to face meetings, but the WEP and GPO
provisions have finally been repealed with the enactment of H.R. 82, the “Social Fairness Act.” The bill passed the House in November on a
327-75 vote and in the early morning of the last Saturday before Christmas in the Senate on a 76-20 vote.
The path of the “Social Security Fairness Act” through the House and the Senate was not a straightforward one. Our opponents, however, were
determined to stop the bill and used every parliamentary tool at their disposal to prevent the bill from passing by forcing the Senate to move
slowly in the hopes they could run out the clock on the 118th Congress.
Senator Michael D. Crapo (R-ID), the incoming Chairman of the Committee on Finance, as well as Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Charles E.
Grassley (R-IA) posed the most significant threats the bill’s passage. All three Senators tried to prevent the vote, then turned to filing
amendments and using Senate procedures to slow down its consideration.
After the House passed a continuing resolution (CR) just hours before the funding deadline, it was transmitted to the Senate, which wanted to
act quickly. With H.R. 82 on the Senate floor, there was no way for the Senate to pivot to the consideration of the continuing resolution without
concluding consideration of the bill. This led to an agreement for expedited consideration of H.R. 82 that allowed for the consideration of four
amendments and a budgetary point of order.
All four of the amendments proposed were designed to effectively kill the bill by blocking or delaying the repeal of the WEP and GPO. Under the
time agreement, 60 Members of the Senate would have to vote in favor of the amendments in order to pass. The agreement also required at
least 60 votes to pass H.R. 82 and send the bill to the President.
We defeated the first of two amendments, S. Amdt. 3346, offered by Senator Rand H. Paul (R-KY) on a 3-93 vote. His second amendment, S.
Amdt. 3352, was also soundly defeated on a 28-67 vote.
Senator Cruz offered an amendment, S. Amdt. 3360, that was identical to the “Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act” that was defeated on
the House floor in November on a 175-224 vote. The Senate effort to pass this legislation was similarly rejected on a 32-64 vote. Senator
Crapo offered S. Amdt. 3331 last and it was rejected on a 34-62 vote.
Our opponents then played their last card when Senator Michael S. Lee (R-UT) raised a budgetary point of order to block a vote on final
passage. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Chairman of the Committee on Budget, moved to waive the point of order and proceed to a vote on H.R.
82. The motion passed 66-30.
Finally, the Senate voted on an overwhelming 76-20 vote to send the repeal of the WEP and the GPO to the President’s desk.
We do not know at this writing when President Biden will sign the legislation. When he does, the bill becomes law. The effective date is for the
“months after December 2023,” which means the WEP and GPO will be retroactive to January 2024. It will take some time for the Social
Security Administration to implement the new law. We will keep you up to date through our website and the Weekly Update—so check them
often!
We have also developed a Frequently Asked Questions about the “Social Security Fairness Act.” Please understand the legislation has not yet
been signed into law, but we anticipate that will occur on 3 January 2025.
LEGISLATIVE NEWS & ACTIVITY
SOCIAL SECURITY SUCCESS: WEP/GPO
REPEALED!
LEGISLATIVE NEWS & ACTIVITY