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I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude to Sen. Susan Collins for her unwavering commitment to repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). On Jan. 5, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law, marking the culmination of Collins’ two-decade-long effort to correct this injustice.
As a former career and technical center instructor of 27 years, and former senate chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee in the Maine Legislature, I applaud Collins for her persistence in championing this cause. Her dedication has not only benefited current retirees but will also have a profound impact on the future of education in Maine.
The repeal of these penalties will significantly enhance our ability to recruit experienced professionals from industry into our career and technical centers. Previously, the WEP and GPO discouraged many talented individuals from making late-career transitions to teaching due to the substantial reduction in their Social Security benefits. Now, with these barriers removed, we can look forward to attracting a diverse pool of experts who can bring invaluable real-world experience to our classrooms.
Collins’ efforts will help ensure that more than 25,000 Mainers, including teachers, firefighters and other public servants, will now receive their full, hard-earned Social Security benefits. This victory not only restores financial security for our retirees but also strengthens our education system by making teaching a more attractive second career option not only in career and technical education but all levels of public education.
Thank you, Collins, for your decades of support for Maine’s teachers and public servants. Your tireless work has not only corrected a long-standing injustice but has also paved the way for a brighter future in education across our state.
Brian Langley
Ellsworth