March 17, 2016

Powerful committee to hear Texas Congressman Kevin Brady’s bill on Tuesday

A powerful congressional committee is slated to look at potential reforms to Social Security next week, including Congressman Kevin Brady’s (R-TX) H.R. 711, known as the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act. The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) has long supported Congressman Brady’s efforts to improve Social Security benefits for public employees by calling for fairness in how their benefits are calculated.

“Teachers often enter this profession through a calling to make a difference in the lives of young people, knowing that they most likely will not make a large salary by doing so,” said ATPE Executive Director Gary Godsey. “Robust pension plans help educators feel more secure in their career choice, but it’s unfortunate that our retiring teachers end their careers and then get hit by unfair federal offset rules that reduce their Social Security benefits.”

Texas educators have seen their Social Security benefits upon retirement reduced because of an offset known as the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) that affects workers who pay into Social Security but have also qualified for a state pension while working for school districts that do not participate in Social Security. Congressman Brady’s H.R. 711 would replace the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) with a new calculation that would more accurately reflect actual earnings and contributions paid into Social Security. If passed, H.R. 711 would result in increased benefits for public employees now subject to the WEP. Brady recently became Chairman of the powerful U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, which has Social Security oversight, and has moved quickly to set a hearing on this important legislation.

“Changing the WEP would help educators receive more equitable treatment under the law and be especially beneficial to those employees who’ve chosen to enter public education as a second career,” said ATPE State President Cory Colby. “ATPE has long supported and thanked Congressman Brady for his efforts on behalf of our members and all public employees in Texas who are affected by this law, and we’re very excited to see progress being made.”

The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security will hold a hearing on Tuesday, March 22, beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern time, to discuss H.R. 711 and Social Security provisions that affect certain public employees. ATPE will be attending the meeting and providing a link to the livestream where you can watch the hearing on Tuesday. Visit ATPE’s TeachtheVote.org website for more details

###

The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) has been a strong voice for Texas educators since 1980. It is the leading educators’ association in Texas with more than 100,000 members statewide. With its strong collaborative philosophy, ATPE speaks for classroom teachers, administrators, future, retired and para-educators and works to create better opportunities for 5 million public schoolchildren. ATPE is the ally and the voice of Texas public education.