REAM's Legislative priorities for the 2007-2009 Session:

Addressing the Deficiencies

Outdated pension formulas have not been able to keep up with the increasing costs of living. The purchasing power of a pension can decrease 60-80% over time. In an effort to addresses some of these deficiencies, REAM has worked with a number of legislators to file language that would help protect the purchasing power of pensions over time and also to adjust the base of the COLA. Senate Bill 2234 (S2234) is a bill that has been reported out of the Joint Public Service Committee favorably. S2234 is a REAM sponsored bill that immediately increases the base of the COLA to $16,000 then creates a formula based on the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and increases the COLA based to a percentage of the Social Security base over time. Included with this bill is language the REAM had filed that would call for a long-term study on the effects of purchasing power. This was previously under a separate bill (H2420). S2234 is currently before the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Another bill that REAM is closely monitoring, H2604, which increases the minimum pension from $10,000 to $15,000. This bill has been reported favorably from the Joint Public Service Committee to the House Ways and Means Committee. In addition, a bill addressing issues related to maternity leaves is currently before the Joint Public Service Committee. REAM has submitted written testimony in support of allowing retirees to purchase service time for maternity leaves that were taken during active service years.

Reach any Senator or Representative on Beacon Hill. Complete listing of all state senators and representatives as well as complete information on them, and access to their e-mail address.

If you do not know the names of your Senators or Congressmen from your state you will find them at this site. Simply click on the state in which you are interested. Then click on the name of the Congressmen or Senator you wish to contact. Most Congressmen only accept e-mails from their constituents. At this site you will find complete information on how to contact each member.

Tips on writing effective letters to elected officials can be found here. If you scroll down on this site you will find how to locate writing addresses for U.S. Senators, Representatives and Supreme Court Justices. Also there are the "always" and "nevers" in writing to them as well as how to identify legislation when writing to them.

Legislative issues involving seniors nationally.

Information on the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset and how each affects what you will collect from social Security because of your MA pension. HR594, filed by Representatives. McKeon and Berman of California calls for the complete repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). Please call your Congressman and ask that he/she co-sponsor this legislation. S349, filed by Sen. Feinstein of California calls for the complete repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision(WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). Please call your Senators and ask that he/she co-sponsor this legislation.

Information on the National Coalition for WEP/GPO repeal