Delivered via email: January 17, 2025
The WEP and GPO have had a significant impact on the retirement benefits of Illinois educators, especially for those who changed jobs mid-career to become educators. Although those individuals had paid into Social Security for multiple years, upon retirement, the WEP and GPO reduced the Social Security benefits to which they would otherwise be entitled based on their receipt of TRS pension benefits.
Under the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, 2.8 million public employee retirees will be positively impacted by these laws, which is approximately 25% of public workers with a large portion being public school teachers and personnel. The WEP and GPO impacted public school teachers and personnel in 15 states, including Illinois. According to a September report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), removing the WEP would increase monthly Social Security benefits for affected beneficiaries by an average of $360 by December 2025.
The Social Security Fairness Act passed the house 327-75-1 and the Senate 76-20-0.
Register to be an Advocacy Ambassador under the Advocacy tab on the IASB website. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at govrel@iasb.com.
Interested in attending? Contact Alie Wagner to be notified when registration opens. We look forward to serving you and amplifying your voices in our federal advocacy efforts!
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. Senate Budget Committee
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Federal legislative information
House Clerk
New 119th Congress
The 119th United States Congress convened this month as Republicans took control of both chambers. The Republican trifecta - control of Congress and the White House - will be complete when President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office next Monday, January 20. The first order of business in both chambers was electing new leadership. In the House, Republican Representative Mike Johnson (Louisiana) won reelection as speaker by a single vote. In the Senate, Republican Senator John Thune (South Dakota) was elected as the new Senate Majority Leader, replacing long time Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who chose not to run again for leadership for the new congress. With a razor thin majority in the House and the filibuster in the Senate, passing major pieces of legislation over the upcoming two years will be challenging.Social Security Fairness Act
On January 5, President Biden signed into law the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, which abolishes the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), both of which have been in place since 1983. The WEP lowered the Social Security benefits for people who have worked both as public employees in jobs not covered by Social Security (i.e. Teacher’s Retirement System of Illinois) and in jobs in which they earned Social Security benefits. The GPO is similar to the WEP, but instead of reducing the worker’s benefits, the GPO reduces the benefits for a spouse or former spouse who claims spousal benefits based on a spouse’s or former spouse’s earnings record.The WEP and GPO have had a significant impact on the retirement benefits of Illinois educators, especially for those who changed jobs mid-career to become educators. Although those individuals had paid into Social Security for multiple years, upon retirement, the WEP and GPO reduced the Social Security benefits to which they would otherwise be entitled based on their receipt of TRS pension benefits.
Under the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, 2.8 million public employee retirees will be positively impacted by these laws, which is approximately 25% of public workers with a large portion being public school teachers and personnel. The WEP and GPO impacted public school teachers and personnel in 15 states, including Illinois. According to a September report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), removing the WEP would increase monthly Social Security benefits for affected beneficiaries by an average of $360 by December 2025.
The Social Security Fairness Act passed the house 327-75-1 and the Senate 76-20-0.
First Advocacy Ambassadors Meeting of 2025
The IASB Governmental Relations team would love for you to join the Advocacy Ambassador program. The first 2025 meeting, exclusively for Advocacy Ambassador members, will be held virtually on Zoom at noon on Friday, February 7. It will include a summary of Lame Duck session, an overview of IASB’s 2025 legislative priorities and initiatives, and an opportunity for members to ask questions and provide feedback to the IASB Governmental Relations team. You can register for this meeting by visiting the IASB Events Calendar.Register to be an Advocacy Ambassador under the Advocacy tab on the IASB website. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at govrel@iasb.com.
Looking Ahead: 2025 COSSBA Federal Advocacy Conference
Mark your calendars! The 2025 COSSBA Federal Advocacy Conference will take place September 7-9, 2025, in Washington, D.C. More information will be available by May 2025, and we encourage IASB members to attend. Your participation is crucial for advocating for the future of education in Illinois.Interested in attending? Contact Alie Wagner to be notified when registration opens. We look forward to serving you and amplifying your voices in our federal advocacy efforts!
How to Stay Up-to-Date on Federal Policy
2025 House CalendarU.S. Department of Education
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. Senate Budget Committee
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Federal legislative information
House Clerk