Social Security Card

Washington, D.C., Jan 9 -

U.S. Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (FL-05) today announced that she was selected to serve on her top subcommittee choices on the House Ways and Means Committee; Health and Social Security.  These assignments place Rep. Brown-Waite at the center of the decision making process for comprehensive healthcare reform in the 111th Congress, and ensure she will have a say in any legislation affecting Social Security.

“The first job of any Member of the House is to represent the needs and wishes of their district,” said Rep. Brown-Waite.  “Seats on the Health and Social Security Subcommittees mean that Florida’s 5th District will have a front-row seat at the table when formulating policy changes to Social Security and comprehensive healthcare reform.  I have a real passion for health related issues and am looking forward to getting down to work and doing everything I can for my constituents.”

Florida’s 5th District is home to the most Social Security and Medicare recipients of any congressional district in the nation.  As such, Rep. Brown-Waite has invested much of her first three terms in the U.S. House fighting for American seniors and finding solutions to our nation’s healthcare crisis. 

Rep. Brown-Waite also announced that she has introduced H.R. 236, the Social Security Protection Act.  With more than 225,000 Social Security recipients in her district, protecting their hard-earned benefits is very important to Rep. Brown-Waite.  This legislation makes it against House Rules to reduce the benefits of current Social Security beneficiaries through passage of any resolution or law. 

“Many 5th District residents rely solely on their monthly check for their entire retirement, and my legislation protects those seniors from any efforts by Congress to reduce that benefit,” said Rep. Brown-Waite.  “H.R. 236 makes it clear that Congress must protect the benefits our constituents earned from a lifetime of hard work.  It is just plain wrong to break the promise that was made to seniors on Social Security, and I hope that this House will join me in support of full Social Security benefits for current recipients.”

A description of the jurisdiction for each Subcommittee is included below.

Health

The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Health shall include bills and matters referred to the Committee on Ways and Means that relate to programs providing payments (from any source) for health care, health delivery systems, or health research.  More specifically, the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Health shall include bills and matters that relate to the health care programs of the Social Security Act (including titles V, XI (Part B), XVIII, and XIX thereof) and, concurrent with the full Committee, tax credit and deduction provisions of the Internal Revenue Code dealing with health insurance premiums and health care costs.

Source: "Manual of Rules of the Committee on Ways and Means for the One Hundred Ninth Congress," WMCP: 109-1.

Social Security

The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Social Security shall include bills and matters referred to the Committee on Ways and Means that relate to the Federal Old-Age, Survivors’ and Disability Insurance System, the Railroad Retirement System, and employment taxes and trust fund operations relating to those systems. More specifically, the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Social Security shall include bills and matters involving title II of the Social Security Act and Chapter 22 of the Internal Revenue Code (the Railroad Retirement Tax Act), as well as provisions in title VII and title XI of the Act relating to procedure and administration involving the Old-Age, Survivors’ and Disability Insurance System.

Source: "Manual of Rules of the Committee on Ways and Means for the One Hundred Ninth Congress," WMCP: 109-1.