PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1304 PRINTER'S NO. 1701
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, WOJNAROSKI, DALEY,
LUCYK, COSTA, YOUNGBLOOD AND HARHAI, APRIL 7, 1999
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MAY 4, 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.
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