State Sen. Scott Wilk’s bill urging the federal government to avoid the reduction of Social Security for teachers and other professionals in the public sector during a career change passed the Legislature this week, and will head to the governor’s desk for approval.
Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, authored Senate Joint Resolution 3 to urge the federal government to repeal two federal retirement benefit laws that can affect the Social Security benefits of public employees and their spouses, according to a news release from the senator’s office.
The laws in focus include the Government Pension Offset, which cuts benefits when an individual receives a government pension and their spouse is eligible for Social Security from non-government employment, and the Windfall Elimination Provision, which cuts a person’s benefits when they are eligible for Social Security and government pensions from separate employers.
“There’s no other way to say it: This federal policy is completely unfair to its most valuable public servants, especially educators,” Wilk said in the news release. He added that some factors that make the practice unjust include the fact that if one had a non-public-sector career but wanted to become a teacher later in life, then the Social Security benefits they earned from their original career would be eliminated or slashed.
“School is starting back up right now, and it’s the perfect time to send Congress the message that teachers and their families should not be treated unjustly. They are entitled to every cent they have paid into Social Security,” Wilk added.