PRINTER'S NO. 1304
No. 109 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY ROONEY, VEON, M. COHEN, COY, BELFANTI, BEBKO- JONES, BARRAR, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPABIANCA, CURRY, EACHUS, FICHTER, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GIGLIOTTI, GRUCELA, HORSEY, LAUGHLIN, STEELMAN, SURRA, MANDERINO, McCALL, MELIO, MYERS, PESCI, PETRONE, READSHAW, ROBERTS, SCRIMENTI, SHANER, SOLOBAY, STURLA, WALKO, WILLIAMS, WILT AND WOJNAROSKI, APRIL 7, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, APRIL 7, 1999
A RESOLUTION 1 Encouraging Congress to give priority to reformation of the 2 Social Security system. 3 WHEREAS, Social Security provides American workers with 4 universal, contributory, wage-related, inflation-proof benefits 5 in the event of the retirement, disability or death of a primary 6 wage earner; and 7 WHEREAS, Social Security is more than a retirement program, 8 it is a family program. Without Social Security about 54% of 9 America's seniors and more than 15 million beneficiaries overall 10 would be living in poverty. About 98% of children under 18 years 11 of age can count on monthly cash benefits if a working parent 12 dies; and 13 WHEREAS, Medicare has provided essential health insurance to 14 millions of older Americans, further contributing to America's 15 older population having the lowest rate of poverty in the
1 industrialized world; and 2 WHEREAS, In his State of the Union address the President 3 urged Congress to save Social Security and Medicare and to 4 dedicate the majority of the projected surplus to shoring up the 5 solvency of both essential programs; and 6 WHEREAS, The long-term solvency of Social Security and 7 Medicare can be ensured for future generations with reasonable 8 and timely adjustments to the program made by Congress; 9 therefore be it 10 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania 11 respectfully memorialize the Federal Government to use the 12 budget surplus to strengthen Social Security and Medicare to 13 ensure the continued financial viability of these essential 14 programs; and be it further 15 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives memorialize the 16 Federal Government to take immediate steps to ensure that Social 17 Security remain a universal, mandatory, contributory social 18 insurance system where risk is pooled among all workers, rather 19 than transferred to each individual worker; and be it further 20 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 21 the Pennsylvania delegation to the United States Congress. C19L82BIL/19990H0109R1304 - 2 -