HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 19
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegates Boggs, R. M. Thompson,
Dempsey, C. White, Faircloth, Pethtel, Stephens, McGraw, Compton,
Marshall, DeLong, Warner, Wills, Hrutkay, Givens, Butcher,
Paxton, Brown, Stemple, Hall, Azinger, Proudfoot, Varner, Pino,
Staton, G. White, Leggett, Schadler, Border, Caputo, Spencer,
Perry, Fahey, Ferrell, Susman, Mahan, Kominar, Romine, Ellem,
Carmichael, Smirl, Fletcher, Shaver, H. White, Yeager, Kuhn,
Williams, Frederick, J. Smith, Campbell, Cann, Tucker, Shelton,
Prunty, Hatfield, Craig, Mathews, Flanigan, Wright, Douglas,
Coleman, Manuel, Hubbard, Perdue, R. Thompson, Webster,
Stalnaker, Morgan, Louisos, Leach, Poling, Amores, Fragale, Webb,
Manchin, Browning, Anderson, Walters, Beach, Keener, Beane, Fox,
Evans, Swartzmiller, L. Smith, Martin, Angotti, Doyle, Canterbury
and Fleischauer)
[Introduced March 9, 2001; referred to the
Committee on Rules.]
Urging the passage of national legislation to increase benefits to
surviving spouses under the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974.
Whereas, For years many in the railroad industry have argued
that annuities paid widows and widowers under the Railroad
Retirement Act of 1974 are grossly inadequate; and
Whereas, Under current law, during the lifetime of a railroad
employee and his or her spouse, the employee and the spouse receive
a full annuity; and
Whereas, After the employee's death, only a widow's or widower's annuity is payable in an amount the widow or widower
received as a spouse in the month before the employee's death; and
Whereas, The widow's or widower's annuity is inadequate and
often leaves the survivor with less than the amount of income
needed to meet ordinary and necessary living expenses; and
Whereas, To remedy this inequity, no outside contributions from
the American taxpayer are needed; and
Whereas
, West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall was the co-
sponsor of HR 4844 in the 106th Congress which proposed expanded and
broader benefits to widows and widowers under the Railroad
Retirement Act of 1974; this legislation passed the House of
Representatives by a vote of 391 to 25, but failed passage in the
Senate; HR 180 was introduced in the House of Representatives on
January 3, 2001, and contains the same provisions as HR 4844; and
Whereas, Any changes in law will be paid for from within the
railroad industry itself; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That all parties of the railroad community, including labor,
management and retirement organizations, actively support
legislation to guarantee widow's or widower's annuities at amounts
no less than that which the employee was receiving in the month
before his or her death, irrespective of any other railroad retirement issue; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Congress of the United States enact
annuity legislation that recognizes the concern of many that the
widow's or widower's annuity under current law is inadequate to
meet ordinary and necessary living expenses; and, be it
Further Resolved, That all other States join in this effort of
support for modification of the guaranteed minimum benefit for
widows and widowers whose annuities are converted from spousal
annuity to a widow's or widower's annuity; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates is
directed to provide a copy of this resolution to the State's
Congressional Delegation, and the respective Legislatures of the
remaining forty-nine states.
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