Davis files motion to force House vote on bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) on July 15 filed a motion with the House Clerk to place his bill, the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, on the Consensus Calendar to force a vote on the measure.

H.R. 82, which Rep. Davis sponsored in January 2021 with 17 original cosponsors, including lead cosponsor U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), would repeal provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government, according to the congressional record bill summary.

“My bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act has reached an important milestone in the House,” Rep. Davis said. “We have secured over 290 cosponsors, which means it will be up to Speaker Pelosi to bring our bill to the floor for a vote.”

According to House rules, a member of Congress may file a motion with the House Clerk to place their legislation on the Consensus Calendar once their legislation has accumulated at least 290 cosponsors. If the legislation maintains at least 290 cosponsors for 25 legislative days, and the committee of jurisdiction does not report the legislation, it will be placed on the Consensus Calendar. The U.S. Speaker of the House has the authority to bring legislation on the Consensus Calendar to the floor for a vote before the full U.S. House of Representatives.

“I’d like to thank my nearly three hundred colleagues in the House who have cosponsored our bill, and I urge Speaker Pelosi to call our bill for a vote,” said Rep. Davis.

If enacted, H.R. 82 specifically would eliminate both the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) from the Social Security Act. 

WEP reduces the earned Social Security benefits of an individual who also receives a public pension from a job not covered by Social Security and also affects people who move from a job in which they earn Social Security to a job, such as teaching, in which they do not, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Davis’ office.

The GPO affects the spousal benefits of people who work as federal, state or local government employees, such as educators, police officers and firefighters, if the job is not covered by Social Security and reduces by two-thirds the benefit received by surviving spouses who also collect a government pension, the summary says.

“The Social Security Act as it exists today unfairly penalizes millions of public service workers, including police officers and firefighters, who paid taxes into the system during their careers,” said Rep. Davis. “These unfair and egregious provisions in Social Security must be repealed.”