Tucson Standard

U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) has signed a discharge petition to compel the House of Representatives to vote on the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82). This legislation aims to remove the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) from the Social Security Act, which currently reduce benefits for public service employees who also receive other forms of retirement income.

"Our public sector employees dedicated their careers in service to their fellow Americans, and when they retire, they deserve to receive the entirety of the Social Security benefits they paid into," said Ciscomani. "Far too often, I have heard from educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and more who are frustrated that their Social Security is being unfairly reduced and demand Congress take action to address this issue. I signed onto this discharge petition to force the House of Representatives to vote on this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to ensure that our public service employees receive the full Social Security benefits they earned."

Ciscomani became a cosponsor of H.R. 82 in April 2023. The bill has garnered significant support with 327 cosponsors, making it the most-cosponsored bill of the 118th Congress.

A discharge petition is a procedural motion in the House designed to bring a bill or resolution to a vote even if it has not been marked up by committee or supported by majority party leadership. To succeed, it requires signatures from a majority of House members.

The WEP affects approximately 2 million Social Security beneficiaries by reducing their benefits if they also receive pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security. The GPO impacts nearly 800,000 retirees by lowering benefits for surviving spouses who collect pensions from similar employment.