Seniors and Working People’s Retirements

Raúl believes we all owe a commitment to those who spent their lives building the nation we are proud to call home. Seniors should not have to spend their retirement days in poverty through no fault of their own. We must ensure that Social Security does not become privatized, and we should never put pension plans or retirement savings at the mercy of Wall Street tycoons who clearly have not learned the hard lessons of the past two years. Raúl supports fully funding our Medicare and Medicaid obligations and ending the windfall elimination provision, which forces low-paid public employees outside the Social Security system, like educators, to lose a significant portion of their Social Security benefits. He has co-sponsored legislation to end the windfall elimination provision and the government pension offset, which makes it more difficult for spouses of former government employees to enjoy full Social Security benefits.

Raúl is an original cosponsor of the following legislation in the 111th Congress, which began Jan. 6, 2009, except the Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act and the Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act, of which he is a cosponsor.

Social Security Fairness Act – To repeal the Government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions.

HR 619 – To remove the exclusion from medical assistance under the Medicaid Program of items and services for patients in an institution for mental diseases.

Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act – To provide special reporting and disclosure rules for individual account plans and to provide a minimum investment option requirement for such plan.

Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act – To amend title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide emergency protection for retiree health benefits.

Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act – To improve protections for employees and retirees in business bankruptcies.