Cassidy’s bill would fairly distribute Social Security benefits to public servants

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on March 5 signed on as the lead original cosponsor of proposed legislation to better allocate Social Security benefits to America’s public servants.

“Public servants should not be penalized for dedicating their lives to bettering their communities,” Sen. Cassidy said last week.

The senator introduced the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 2020, S. 3401, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to ensure teachers, police officers, firefighters, and others receive Social Security benefits according to their work history.

If enacted, the proposal would replace the existing formula for calculating Social Security benefits, known as the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), with a fairer formula that would allocate benefits based on what workers earned throughout their lifetime, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers’ offices.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) in July 2019 introduced the same-named companion bill, H.R. 3934, in the U.S. House, where 44 cosponsors support the bill.

“This bill is the only WEP bill that can actually pass Congress so that teachers, firefighters, police officers and others can obtain benefits that they have earned,” said Sen. Cassidy.

Sen. Cruz said he’s “grateful for Sen. Cassidy’s support in this effort and look forward to working with Rep. Brady and other members in the House to pass this legislation and send it to President Trump.”

Several organizations support the bill, including the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund, the Association of Texas Professional Educators, the Texas Retired Teachers Association, the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, and the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System.

Both versions of the bill are under consideration in their respective chambers.