Pending Federal Legislation

GPO/WEP STATUS Starting from scratch

Background historical information on H.R.147

Title: To amend title II of the Social Security Act to repeal the Government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions.

Sponsor: Rep McKeon, Howard P. (Buck) [CA-25] (introduced 1/4/2005) Cosponsors (327)

Related Bills: H.RES.987

Latest Major Action: 1/25/2005 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Social Security.

Note: On 9/20/2006, a motion was filed to discharge the Rules Committee from consideration of H.Res. 987. H.Res. 987 provides for the consideration of H.R. 147. A discharge petition requires 218 signatures for further action. (Discharge Petition No. 109-15 : text with signatures.)

This bill died in committee with 126 signatures (six of whom signed after the election) of the 218 signatures needed to bring the bill to the house floor for a vote.  Note that there were 327 house cosponsors.  If all the representatives from states directly affected by this bill had signed the discharge petition, only three other representative signatures would have been needed to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.  The key to getting this legislation passed is to have it released from whatever committee it is assigned to. 

Where do we go from here?

Nancy Pelosi will assign a new bill on this subject to a committee.  She has the authority to assign the bill to whatever committee she wants.  Just as Speaker Hastert assigned GPO/WEP to a committee which did not report it out, Rep. Pelosi has the power to assign the bill to a friendly committee or an unfriendly committee.