H.R. 82 Refiled in Congress by Louisiana Representative

Dear LRTA members,

You may recall from our last update that Congress failed to take action to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) during the 117^th Congressional Session. The GPO and WEP unfairly penalizes Louisiana’s retired teachers and retired public servants. We are not giving up the fight to repeal the unfair GPO and WEP, and we will continue our efforts in the 118^th Congressional Session.

I am pleased to report that H.R. 82 has been refiled in Congress, AND Louisiana Representative Garret Graves is sponsoring the bill! Rep. Graves has been a vocal proponent of repealing the GPO and WEP, and we are encouraged by the continued support of our Louisiana delegation. Currently, nearly all of Louisiana’s representatives cosponsored the legislation (Rep. Julia Letlow, Rep. Troy Carter, Rep. Clay Higgins and Rep. Mike Johnson).

Since H.R. 82 had to be refiled, we must start the legislative process over again. At the time of this email, H.R. 82 has 120 cosponsors. We still need Rep. Steve Scalise to cosponsor H.R. 82 (who also cosponsored the previous legislation).

If you are a constituent of Rep. Scalise, click here to ask him to cosponsor H.R. 82, again, and support the repeal of the GPO and WEP.

Please be sure to thank Rep. Graves, Rep. Letlow, Rep. Carter, Rep. Higgins and Rep. Johnson if you are one of their constituents. Click here to thank them for their support.

If you are not sure of who your representative is or you prefer to email your representative without using our VoterVoice tool, use this link to look up your representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative?fbclid=IwAR1lD–n9JsABiAbSHsS9TLsaRpczACtW_etvHz6HTLTGCUD6WOq_aO-xLs

Then, copy and paste the appropriate message in the body of your email:

Email Script:

To Representative Steve Scalise

Thank you for your past support for Repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision/Government Pension Offset (WEP/GPO). During the 117th Congressional session, we were proud to say all our Louisiana members of Congress had cosponsored H.R. 82. We were particularly proud of Representatives Graves’s and Letlow’s efforts with the bill as it moved further than any other bill over the last four decades!

This awful law affects thousands of retired teachers and other civil service workers in Louisiana who dedicated their lives to the service of others and who are deprived of Social Security benefits to which they or their spouse contributed. Many are forced to resort to government programs for assistance. They also have less money to spend in our state. It’s unfair and just not right!

In the 118th Congressional session, we are again proud to have our very own Rep. Garret Graves reintroduce H.R. 82. This new bill already has nearly 120 cosponsors! We ask you to cosponsor H.R. 82 so we will, once again, have all our members of Congress supporting the repeal of WEP/GPO. We truly feel that with your position as House Majority Leader, Rep. Graves’s sponsorship of H.R. 82 and the rest of our delegation supporting it, THIS could finally be the time we see the repeal of WEP/GPO!

Email Script:

To thank your Representative:

Thank you for your swift response in cosponsoring H.R. 82, the bill to fully repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).

The WEP & GPO have been so hurtful to the financial status of many retirees. Cosponsoring H.R. 82 shows that you are willing to act for me at this critical time.

Again, thank you for your support in cosponsoring H.R. 82 so that Congress to take action on these unfair provisions.

Remember, H.R. 82 will need national support in order to move through the legislative process. Even if you are currently living in a different state that is not affected by the GPO and/or WEP, you can still contact your individual members of Congress. H.R. 82 will need support from ALL members of Congress, not just members whose state is directly impacted. We encourage you use to use the messages above and modify it for your individual representative.

We know it will be an uphill battle to repeal the GPO and WEP as we saw in 2022. However, we are prepared to continue this fight for our members, and we thank in you in advance for your help with our efforts! 

Sincerely,

Janis Hernandez (janishernandez@hotmail.com)

Legislative Chairperson