At press-time, two hundred and fifty-four congressmen have now signed onto H.R. 82, which repeals both the WEP and GPO. The bill,  has the support of nine Massachusetts Congressmen. Richard Neal (D-Springfield), who cosponsored previous repeal bills,  is expected to sign on shortly.

In February, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) convened a strategy meeting of CARE (Coalition to Assure Retirement Equity) the nationwide group of organizations and unions, including our Association, that are pushing for WEP/GPO repeal. Each of the more than forty organizations in attendance has been working to lobby Congress to take action on a repeal during the current session.

Just days prior to the NARFE meeting, Association Legislative Liaison Shawn Duhamel, along with representatives of several Massachusetts retirement systems, attended the annual legislative conference of the National Conference of Public Retirement Systems (NCPRS). Ω Among other topics, much attention was given to the WEP/GPO issue.

“The general consensus amongst Washington experts is that a move to repeal the WEP and GPO will be included in a larger Social Security reform proposal. Given the ongoing war, much of the attention on Capitol Hill is now focused on Iraq,” explained Duhamel. “At some point, they will shift back to domestic issues.”

In addition to the conference, Duhamel, along with several other Massachusetts representatives, attended a meeting of the Coalition to Preserve Retirement Security (CPRS), which was hosted by the National Educators Association (NEA).

“It is important that we keep beating the drum for a full repeal,”  said retired firefighter and Quincy Retirement Board Chairman George “Fred” McCray, who is also the treasurer of the Massachusetts Association of Contributory Retirement Systems. “It was obvious from the NEA meeting that we have allies across the country, to work with on this critical issue.”