Legislation & Policy

Legislation & Policy

Each Legislative Session in Augusta, MAR monitors legislation, advocates for and against numerous bills that may impact our members, and we also work with Legislative sponsors to introduce bills that will advance our MAR mission.

The most effective advocates in Augusta are MAR members. Please take a few minutes of your time and contact your Representative or Senator.

Here is a list of the bills MAR is following for the current Legislative session.

131st Second Legislative Session Bills

Maine Legislation               Federal Legislation

Maine Legislature Shows Its Support for Repealing Social Security’s WEP and GPO provisions.

On March 24, 2015 and March 25, 2015, the Senate and House passed unanimously a Joint Resolution, introduced by Senator Roger Katz (R-Kennebec), “Memorializing The President and Congress of the United States to Support the Reform of the Social Security Offsets of the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision.”

Copies of this Joint Resolution will be presented to Members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation and will be sent to the President of the United States, the Speaker of the House, and the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate.

The Maine Association of Retirees, representing approximately 14,000 recipients of a Maine Public Employees Retirement System pension, is actively advocating for changes in Social Security’s Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision.

Action on Social Security Windfall & Government Pension Offset Provisions

  • Social Security Resolve
  • The Social Security Fairness article
  • This is an example of the letters that were generated, this has a second letter to the editor at the end
  • Maine Voices article from the Portland Press Herald
  • FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – The proposal sponsored by Representative Richard Neal
    (H.R. 4540) currently has one hundred and forty (140) cosponsors. Maine’s two House of Representative members, Representative Chellie Penigree and Representative Jared
    Golden, both are co-sponsors.
    H.R. 4540: Public Servant Protection and Fairness Act addresses the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) however it does not address the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
    H.R. 4540 reforms the WEP to provide WEP-affected individuals who are eligible for benefits before 2022 a $150 monthly rebate. Changes the WEP calculation moving forward.
    As the Mass Retirees Chief Executive Officer Shawn Duhamel recently stated: “With the challenges facing our country right now, the last thing we can do is allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. Our members need relief from the WEP and they need it now.” As for update on the Government Pension Offset, there is no additional information.

Find Your State Legislators

It is important for all MAR Members to know who their State Representative and State Senators are —- and it is especially important to know how to contact them!

Maine Representatives   Maine Senators

P.S. Whenever you do contact your Reps in Augusta – please let them know that you are an active Maine Association of Retirees member – and remind them that MAR is made up of almost 12,000 active members statewide, just like you.

Maine’s Congressional Delegation

Senator Susan M. Collins
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main: (202)224-2523
Fax: (202)224-2693
http://wwwcollins.senate.gov/
susan@collins.senate.gov
Senator Angus S. King, Jr.
133 Hart Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5344
Senator@King.senate.gov
www.king.senate.gov/contact
Representative Chellie Pingree (D)
District 1
2162 Rayburn HOB
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-6116
http://pingree.house.gov
chellie@pingree.house.gov
Representative Jared Golden (D)
District 2
1223 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6306
Fax: (202) 225-2943
https://golden.house.gov/