TOLEDO, OH – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) convened with local law enforcement personnel and first responders today at the Police Command Officers Association offices, located at the Teamsters Local 20 hall. The discussion centered around Brown’s bipartisan initiative, the Social Security Fairness Act, designed to eliminate existing restrictions preventing law enforcement officers, firefighters, and their families from receiving full Social Security benefits.
Highlighting the significance of Social Security as a cornerstone of the middle class, Senator Brown emphasized that it is a form of retirement security earned through a lifetime of work. He stressed the importance of extending Social Security access to all, including local law enforcement professionals, sheriffs, deputies, firefighters, teachers, and their families.
A substantial number of Ohio residents, exceeding 240,000, face limitations on receiving their rightful Social Security benefits due to two laws enacted in the 1970s and 1980s. The Windfall Elimination Provision, instituted in 1983, reduces Social Security benefits for workers receiving pensions from non-Social Security-covered government employment. The Government Pension Offset, enacted in 1977, diminishes Social Security spousal benefits for individuals whose spouses receive government pensions. The Social Security Fairness Act aims to repeal both laws, ensuring that law enforcement officers, firefighters, teachers, park rangers, and other public sector workers, along with their families, receive their complete Social Security benefits.
Chief Michael Troendle of the Toledo Police Department emphasized the dedication of law enforcement officers and public service workers to enhancing community life. He stressed that reciprocating this dedication includes providing a stable and high-quality retirement through the passage of the ‘Social Security Fairness Act.’