The ATPE Governmental Relations team recaps the past week’s education news, legislative and election updates, and regulatory developments.

• Historic repeal of Social Security offsets hangs in the balance
• ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter quoted in Tribune article on likelihood of voucher bill passing
• Biden-Harris Administration announces additional $4.28 billion in student loan relief
• Happy holidays from ATPE!

SOCIAL SECURITY: Educators, along with police, firefighters, and many other public servants, continue to wait with hope that the U.S. Senate takes up and finally passes House Resolution (H.R.) 82, the Social Security Fairness Act. H.R. 82, which the House passed by a wide margin Nov. 12, would permanently repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) from federal law on Social Security. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law if the Senate sends it to him. This is the closest repeal has ever gotten to passage in the more than 40 years ATPE and its allies have been advocating for repeal of these unfair and arbitrary provisions that reduce retirement benefits for many Texas educators. Although more than 70 senators have twice voted to proceed on debate culminating in a vote of the bill, a small number of senators, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, continue to oppose H.R. 82 and appear to be trying to kill it by running out the clock because they do not have the numbers to vote it down. Readers interested in repeal of the WEP/GPO should use ATPE’s Advocacy Central to tell Cruz to support repeal and work to bring H.R. 82 to a vote instead of working to kill the bill. 

VOUCHERS: ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter is quoted in The Texas Tribune’s latest look at the political climate in the Texas Legislature concerning passage of a private school voucher program. Exter shared with the Tribune that the devil might be in the details for those who are trying to pass such a program. “A voucher bill is very different than the voucher bill everybody can actually live with,” Exter told the Tribune. “I think it's a much different question to be like, ‘Is there the political will in [both chambers and the governor’s office] for them to all pass the same bill?’” Read the full article here on Teach the Vote.

STUDENT LOANS: On Friday the Biden-Harris Administration announced approval of an additional $4.28 billion in student loan relief for 54,900 public servants, including some teachers. The student loan relief is available due to changes made in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Read more in this Department of Education press release.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS: The ATPE state office will be closed Dec. 23 through Jan. 3 for the winter holidays and will reopen at 8 a.m. Jan. 6. Over the break, we encourage you to: 

• Work toward earning your ATPE Member Advocate Program (ATPE-MAP) state-level microcredential so you are eligible to participate in Capitol Expeditions during the upcoming legislative session; 
• Submit proposals for ATPE Summit breakout sessions (the submission deadline is Jan. 7); and 
• Most of all, relax and make special memories with your family and friends. 

The ATPE Board of Directors and staff wish you the happiest of holidays and an incredible new year!