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| [ Senate Amendment 002 ] |
91_SJ0032eng 91SJ0032 Engrossed SRS91SJ0010ABsa 1 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 32 2 (As amended by Senate Amendments No. 1 and No. 2) 3 WHEREAS, Social Security provides American workers and 4 their families with universal, contributory, wage-related, 5 inflation-adjusted benefits in the event of the retirement, 6 disability or death of a wage earner; and 7 WHEREAS, Social Security is more than a retirement 8 program, it is a family program; Without Social Security, 9 about 54 percent of the population aged 65 and over, and more 10 than 15 million beneficiaries overall, would be living in 11 poverty; About 98 percent of children under age 18 can count 12 on monthly cash benefits if a working parent dies; Seven and 13 a half million Americans with disabilities currently benefit 14 from the program; and 15 WHEREAS, Throughout its existence as a federal program, 16 Social Security's trustees and administrators have carefully 17 modified the benefit and financing structure to ensure the 18 program's viability in light of demographic and economic 19 developments; and 20 WHEREAS, Congressional leaders and the President are 21 seeking to engage the American people in a dialogue about 22 Social Security that could lead toward enactment of 23 bipartisan legislation ensuring Social Security's long-term 24 solvency; and 25 WHEREAS, Social Security is not in crisis and, without 26 any changes, could pay full benefits until 2032 and 75 27 percent of benefits thereafter based on the most recent 28 projections of the Social Security Board of Trustees; and 29 WHEREAS, The long-term solvency of Social Security can be 30 ensured for future generations with measured and timely 31 adjustments to the program made by Congress; and 91SJ0032 Engrossed -2- SRS91SJ0010ABsa 1 WHEREAS, The federal Medicare program provides health 2 care for the nation's citizens who qualify for Medicare 3 benefits; and 4 WHEREAS, Medicare benefits are the subject of reform 5 discussions in the United States Congress; and 6 WHEREAS, Participants in the federal Medicare program do 7 not currently enjoy full coverage for prescription 8 medication; therefore, be it 9 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIRST GENERAL 10 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF 11 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Congress of the 12 United States of America is hereby petitioned to preserve 13 Social Security as a contributory social insurance system 14 where risk is pooled among all workers and participation is 15 mandatory within a covered group; and be it further 16 RESOLVED, That the Congress of the United States of 17 America be urged to ensure the long-term financial viability 18 of Social Security, as described above, and restore public 19 confidence in the future of the program; and be it further 20 RESOLVED, That Social Security must continue as a federal 21 program; having a unified program allows for the portability 22 of benefits, disability and family support protections, and 23 maximum retirement security for low and moderate wage 24 earners; and be it further 25 RESOLVED, That we urge the Congress of the United States 26 of America to provide full benefit coverage for prescription 27 medication under the federal Medicare program; and be it 28 further 29 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be 30 delivered to the President of the United States Senate, the 31 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and 91SJ0032 Engrossed -3- SRS91SJ0010ABsa 1 each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.