Members of Congress will now have a chance to restore fairness in Social Security for millions of fire fighters, police officers, teachers, and other retired public servants.
Last week, the discharge petition for the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) – IAFF-endorsed legislation to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) penalties – secured its 218th signature, passing the threshold required to force a vote on the House floor.
The development is historic, as it is only the seventh successful discharge petition in the last 50 years. Reps. Garrett Graves (R-LA) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), who are the lead sponsors of H.R. 82, worked closely with the IAFF, Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), American Federation of Teachers, and other labor organizations representing public servants to secure the signatures.
“Thousands of IAFF members are punished every year simply because they served their communities and earned a pension,” said General President Edward Kelly. “Thanks to our allies on Capitol Hill and the work of the IAFF and other unions, Congress now has a chance to right this wrong, restore fairness in Social Security, and ensure all fire fighters and other public servants can retire with dignity.”
171 Democrats and 47 Republicans signed the petition. Members of the majority party rarely sign discharge petitions, making the number of Republicans who signed on even more significant.
H.R. 82 is the most bipartisan bill introduced in the 118th Congress, with 329 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and more than 60 in the U.S. Senate. But despite its widespread support across Capitol Hill, the bill has stalled in the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. The successful discharge petition will now give lawmakers a chance to bypass the committee and put the bill up for a vote on the House floor.
At the IAFF’s 56th Convention in 2022, delegates adopted a resolution to make the repeal of WEP and GPO penalties a key legislative priority for the union.
Since then, the IAFF, despite strong headwinds from some lawmakers working to protect the status quo, has been one of the leading organizations engaging lawmakers about the impact these penalties have on retired members, and the need to bring the bill up for a vote.
H.R. 82 was a top priority at this year’s Alfred K. Whitehead Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. Fire fighters from across the country united in the nation’s capital to make their case to their representatives. Many lawmakers signed onto the bill as co-sponsors following their meetings with fire fighters and other public servants from their districts.
Additionally, Kelly and FOP President Patrick Yoes led hundreds of first responders in a rally on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to call on Congress to restore fairness to Social Security.
Congress now has a chance to right this wrong, restore fairness in Social Security, and ensure all fire fighters and other public servants can retire with dignity.
General President Edward Kelly
Lawmakers also held two field hearings to help raise awareness of the issues. Both events were hosted by IAFF locals – Columbus Fire Fighters Local 67 in Ohio hosted the Senate Finance Committee, while St. George Fire Fighters Local 4524 hosted the House Ways and Means Committee in Baton Rouge, LA.
The IAFF and its affiliates have lobbied hundreds of lawmakers to advocate for a vote on the widely supported bill. District vice presidents, state association presidents, and Local presidents were also critical in mobilizing their members to join the fight.
Nearly 10,000 messages were sent to members of Congress by more than 6,200 fire fighters through the IAFF’s advocacy center. Internal IAFF data shows that fire fighters asked 88 percent of House offices and 90 percent of Senate offices to support the legislation and the discharge petition through the advocacy center.
While the vote has not been scheduled yet, due to procedural reasons, most lawmakers expect the discharge petition to be voted on when Congress returns following the Nov. 5 election.
To learn more about the Social Security Fairness Act and how repealing WEP/GPO will benefit you, visit iaff.org or click here.
