03/12/2024 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

        HJR 18-SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFIT REDUCTION REPEAL                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:50:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that  the next order  of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 18,  Urging the United States Congress                                                               
to  repeal  the  Windfall Elimination  Provision  and  Government                                                               
Pension Offset of the Social Security Act.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:51:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WRIGHT  moved  to adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute (CS)  to HJR 18,  Version S, 33-LS0162\H,  C. Radford,                                                               
3/6/24, as a working document.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:51:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:51:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BUDDY  WHITT, Staff,  Representative  Laddie  Shaw, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, explained that the  committee substitute was brought                                                               
to the  committee by request  of the  bill sponsor to  ensure the                                                               
clarity of the bill language.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:52:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SHAW announced  there being  no objection,  Version S  was                                                               
before the committee.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW opened public testimony on HJR 18.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:52:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KATHLEEN YERBICH, representing self,  described her work and life                                                               
history  as   a  paper  delivery  person,   restaurant  employee,                                                               
veteran, teacher, and mother.   She expressed her support for HJR
.   She  described  the unpleasant  surprise  when she  learned                                                               
about  the  government  pension offset  (GPO)  and  the  windfall                                                               
elimination  provision (WEP).    She explained  that because  she                                                               
worked  as a  teacher in  Alaska,  her and  her husband's  social                                                               
security benefits would not be made  fully available to her.  She                                                               
described  stories of  people who  reached retirement  age before                                                               
being made aware of the situation.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:55:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MARILYN  PILLIFANT, representing  self, testified  in support  of                                                               
HJR 18.   She thanked Representative  Galvin for her work  on HJR
.   She told the  committee of  the commonality of  Alaskans at                                                               
retirement age  finding out that  they are not eligible  for full                                                               
social security after  decades of public service.   She explained                                                               
that she  didn't find out  about WEP/GPO until she  retired after                                                               
28 years working in an elementary school.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:57:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SARAH CAMPBELL,  representing self,  testified in support  of HJR
.    She  thanked  Representative Galvin  for  introducing  the                                                               
resolution.   Retirement is a  significant issue  facing Alaska's                                                               
public employees,  she said, and dedicated  public employees need                                                               
to know their representatives support  them by urging the federal                                                               
government to repeal WEP  and GPO.  She told a  story of when she                                                               
was informed that her social  security benefits would be slashed.                                                               
She mentioned that she had  paid into social security through her                                                               
part-time  job  to supplement  her  teaching  salary.   She  also                                                               
mentioned that  her husband, a  state trooper who also  worked in                                                               
the private  sector, will  experience WEP/GPO  reductions because                                                               
of  his tenure  as  a  state trooper.    These provisions  punish                                                               
Alaska's  public employees  and need  to be  repealed.   She said                                                               
that over 70  percent of those affected by GPO  lose their entire                                                               
spousal and survivor benefits.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:00:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
NATASHA   GRAHAM,   representing    self,   provided   background                                                               
information  about  her  work  and life  as  a  military  spouse,                                                               
teacher, and  mother.  She testified  in support of HJR  18.  She                                                               
said that as  a Tier III educator in  Alaska's teacher retirement                                                               
system  (TRS),  she  will  lose  more than  half  of  the  social                                                               
security  benefits  that  she  earned  because  of  the  Windfall                                                               
Elimination Provision.   She  said without  a pension  and social                                                               
security, she expects to outlive her retirement benefits.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:02:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LINDA SHARP, representing  self, testified in support  of HJR 18.                                                               
She told the  committee that she learned about WEP  when she went                                                               
to collect social  security for the first time a  few years after                                                               
retiring.  She suggested the  legislature work to fund schools as                                                               
generously as  the legislature funded  itself when it  approved a                                                               
wage increase for representatives last year.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:03:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PAMELA LLOYD, representing self, testified  in support of HJR 18.                                                               
She   thanked   Representative   Galvin   for   introducing   the                                                               
resolution.    She  mentioned   the  disproportionate  impact  of                                                               
WEP/GPO  on Alaskans  compared to  other  states.   She said  her                                                               
husband will not be able  to receive her social security earnings                                                               
should she die first.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:05:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SHAW,  after  ascertaining  that no  one  else  wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on HJR 18.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:05:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ALYSE  GALVIN, Alaska State Legislature,  as prime                                                               
sponsor  of HJR  18,  thanked the  House  State Affairs  Standing                                                               
Committee  for hearing  the resolution.    She made  note of  the                                                               
bipartisan support for the resolution  at the federal level.  She                                                               
sought to ensure current public  servants that the legislature is                                                               
speaking up for them.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:06:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  highlighted his own  experience with  social security                                                               
and offered his support for HJR 18.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:06:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT  moved to report  CSHJR 18, Version  S, 33-                                                               
LS0162\H, C.  Radford, 3/6/24, out  of committee  with individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying  zero fiscal notes.   There                                                               
being no objection,  CSHJR 18(STA) was reported out  of the House                                                               
State Affairs Standing Committee.