SJR 12-SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFIT REDUCTION REPEAL  3:18:59 PM CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced that the first order of business would be 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. 3:19:16 PM CO-CHAIR FIELDS opened public testimony on SJR 12. 3:19:39 PM DAVID GUTTENBERG testified in support of SJR 12. He recounted that he worked as a laborer for over 20 years, then worked four years as a staff person in the legislature, followed by 16 years as a legislator. When he became eligible to retire from the state he learned that the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) would take about $400 out of his retirement. He said he has been amazed at it ever since and how detrimental it has been to those who have split their time between the private sector and the public sector. He did not anticipate this big hit and an estimated $70 million a year is not received by Alaskans because of this provision. He paid Social Security for more than 20 years while working as a laborer, but because he split his career between the private and public sectors he is penalized, as are many Alaskans. People just want to get back the money they put into Social Security; nobody is asking for more than that. He said there is support [for repeal] in Congress and urged the passage of SJR 12. 3:22:06 PM TAMMY SMITH testified in support of SJR 12. She related that she is a teacher in Fairbanks with the benefit of being Tier I, and she will be retiring after 40 years of teaching in Alaska. She said she began her career as a teacher in Minnesota and then taught at a Catholic school in Fairbanks, both positions in which she paid into Social Security. In 1986 she moved into the public school system and eventually learned about WEP and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and how they would significantly impact her retirement, which is part of the reason why she continues to teach. Her husband worked with the plumbers and pipefitters for over 30 years. At his death seven years ago, she realized the significant impact that the GPO/WEP would have on her, as there is a double impact for certain individuals. The work that her husband did has been taken away from her. MS. SMITH stated that as a board member of the National Education Association-Alaska (NEA-Alaska) she has taken this issue to Alaska US Senator Dan Sullivan and Alaska US Senator Lisa Murkowski. While they understand the issue, she said, they need the legislature's encouragement. She related that in a letter Senator Sullivan wrote to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) he talks about how 70 percent of the Alaskan teachers that are in the Tier III system may run out of money after a certain amount of time. Senator Sullivan's work targets what is going to happen to the Tier III individuals who do not have a defined benefit and the significant impact that this will have on these Alaska teachers without Social Security. MS. SMITH said she is only asking for consideration of what she has donated to Social Security. She pointed out that young Alaskans are also being impacted and don't feel they can stay in Alaska. Three years ago, her daughter, a public employee, decided to leave Alaska because as a Tier III or Tier IV she could do better elsewhere. She urged the committee to help senators Sullivan and Murkowski going forward. Even if it isn't a total fix or isn't retroactive, she said, it would be something to support Alaskans working in the state. 3:26:44 PM REPRESENTATIVE NELSON thanked Ms. Smith for her 40 years of teaching. 3:27:05 PM CO-CHAIR FIELDS closed public testimony after ascertaining that no one else wished to testify. 3:27:14 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ moved to report SJR 12 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying [zero] fiscal notes. There being no objection, SJR 12 was moved out of the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.