03/01/2022 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 12                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Urging  the  United  States   Congress  to  repeal  the                                                                    
     Windfall Elimination  Provision and  Government Pension                                                                    
     Offset of the Social Security Act.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:09:17 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BILL WIELECHOWSKI, SPONSOR, reintroduced the bill.                                                                      
He offered a truncated sponsor statement:                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     SJR   12  urges   Congress  to   repeal  the   Windfall                                                                    
     Elimination  Provision  (WEP)  and  Government  Pension                                                                    
     Offset   (GPO)  of   the  Social   Security  Act.   The                                                                    
     provisions   reduce   Social  Security   benefits   for                                                                    
     individuals  or  the  dependents of  individuals  whose                                                                    
     work  histories  include  jobs   for  which  they  were                                                                    
     entitled to  a pension and  were not subject  to Social                                                                    
     Security  payroll taxes.  In  2022,  the WEP  reduction                                                                    
     could be as  much as $498 a month. The  WEP and the GPO                                                                    
     affect  nearly 16,000  Alaskans,  and these  provisions                                                                    
     can  have a  substantial  effect on  benefits in  those                                                                    
     households.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Senator Wielechowski relayed that there was no known                                                                            
opposition to the legislation.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:09:52 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Bishop expressed appreciation for the legislation.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:10:15 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Wielechowski addressed the zero fiscal note.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:10:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Wilson  thanked  the  sponsor  for  addressing  the                                                                    
issue.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Senator Hoffman  asked whether the  bill sponsor  planned to                                                                    
travel to Washington DC to present the resolution.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Senator Wielechowski said as soon as the bill passed.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:11:08 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Wielechowski  MOVED to REPORT SJR  12 from committee                                                                    
with  individual recommendations  and attached  fiscal note.                                                                    
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SJR  12 was  REPORTED out  of committee  with six  "do pass"                                                                    
recommendations and  with and one previously  published zero                                                                    
fiscal note: FIN 1 (S.STA).                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:11:38 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:13:13 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED