In typical election year fashion, nearly all business in Washington D.C. has ground to a halt in anticipation of both the presidential and congressional elections. While Congress does reconvene after the November 2 election, it is unlikely that a major issue, like Social Security, would be taken up.

"Even though we knew that things would slow down once the election cycle got fully underway, it is still frustrating," explained Association Legislative Liaison Shawn Duhamel. "This is an issue that is extremely important to a great number of our members. Many retirees are loosing thousands of dollars a year from a benefit that they earned and paid for.

"Members who are impacted by either the GPO or WEP should know that we are doing everything possible to resolve these issues. We continue to work with other states and the various coalitions that exist to keep the debate alive."

Despite the lull in activity, members are asked to remain vigilant. Association officers want to remind members that we are locked in a grassroots battle to educate and influence Congress to change the laws hurting public retirees.

The number of Congressmen, supporting the petition (H. Res. 523) to discharge H.R. 594, remains at 192. As we have previously reported, 218 cosponsors (a majority) are needed in order to force a bill from a committee and onto the House floor for a vote. Once on the House floor, a bill also needs 218 votes (51 in the US Senate) in order to pass.

Those members, who are supporting our efforts on the GPO/WEP repeal, know that the key congressional committee, central to the issue, is the Subcommittee on Social Security. The Subcommittee is chaired by E. Clay Shaw, the powerful Republican Congressman from Ft. Lauderdale. While Shaw and his staff have had an open ear with our Association's officials, the chairman has not moved any of the repeal bills beyond his committee.

Shaw remains focused on his own WEP reform bill, H.R. 4391. While the proposal would not repeal the WEP outright, it makes important changes to how one's basic Social Security benefit is calculated. As we reported earlier, after analyzing the newly proposed formula, we feel that the bill does not go far enough in restoring a retiree's lost benefits. H.R. 4391 also does not address the issue of the GPO.

Republican Congressional leaders have held the line on any bill that would increase the costs borne by the Social Security system. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), along with the Social Security Administration, have estimated that the 10-year cost of a full fledged repeal of both the GPO and WEP would cost $65 billion.