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Restores the Survivor Benefit Plan Annuity
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| May 19th, 2004 |
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Mr. Chairman, I thank my chairman of the full committee for the time; and, Mr. Chairman, I proudly rise today in support of H.R. 4200, our National Defense Authorization Act of 2005.
As the chairman said, this legislation fully restores the survivor benefit plan annuity to what was promised to America's surviving spouses, and I applaud my Committee on Armed Services colleagues for bringing a quarter of a million military widows and widowers one step closer to seeing increases in their monthly checks next year. This is a Defense authorization measure which this entire body can be proud of.
Since coming to Congress, I have been working on this issue of particular interest, restoration of the minimum survivor benefit plan basic annuity to 55 percent for those survivors aged 62 years of age and older. Under present law, surviving spouses are subject to a reduction to 35 percent as part of the initial SBP law that was enacted in 1972, but this critical piece of information did not find its way into military retirement briefings and to the SBP election forms until many years later.
Here is a 1982 election form. Nowhere will my colleagues find in this form the offset mentioned. Survivors have felt betrayed by this bait-and-switch; and at 35 percent, SBP provides only a poverty-level or lower annuity to most survivors, even those of relatively senior officers.
For nearly 3 years, we have worked with members of the committee, my colleagues on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and numerous VSOs, to introduce SBP bills that will bring the needed equity. Both bills that I have introduced in Congress have received strong bipartisan support with over 300 Members sponsoring one or both measures, and I am proud that this committee has produced SBP reform that exceeds even my greatest expectation.
H.R. 4200 will fully eliminate the so-called ``widow's tax'' by April 1, 2008, in under 5 years. I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) and the first rate Committee on Armed Services staff who literally worked round the clock to make this happen.
Once again, our Nation is calling upon the members of the U.S. Armed Forces to defend democracy and freedom. We have no doubt that these brave men and women will rise to the challenge. However, for those who have selected to make their career the U.S. military, they face an unknown risk.
This giant leap forward sends a clear message to the men and women who have provided our national defense. Today, we are a grateful Nation, and this Congress is making good on our promises to our Armed Forces. This battle has been hard fought, and its victory is shared by so many whose efforts have been tireless and unrelenting.
I thank my colleagues who have stood by me to realize this victory.
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There are no Floor Speechess to be displayed for this month.
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