Prepare to Engage Lawmakers During the First Extended Congressional Recess of 2021

LEARN MORE about how you can take action to protect your earned pay and benefits by reviewing NARFE grassroots materials at www.narfe.org/advocacy

Get ready to engage with your legislators March 29 through April 9, when the House and Senate are scheduled to be in recess. During the first extended congressional recess of 2021, you have two full weeks to meet with elected officials as they return to their home districts and states. With the break happening within the first 100 days of the new session of Congress, freshman lawmakers in particular will be eager to report on the work they have begun in their newly assigned committees. This is a great time to seek opportunities to discuss NARFE’s legislative priorities and other concerns.

NARFE federation legislative chairs, congressional district leaders and senatorial leaders have already distributed welcome packets introducing new lawmakers to NARFE and can now try to schedule follow-up meetings as a second step in their relationship-building strategy.

NARFE’s action plan for the recess is to focus advocacy efforts on bills we support, including: • The Social Security Fairness

Act, H.R. 82, which would provide full repeal of the

Windfall Elimination

Provision (WEP) and

Government Pension Offset (GPO) so retired government

workers who also worked in the private sector don’t see their Social Security benefits reduced. • The Equal COLA Act, H.R. 304, which would ensure that Federal Employees

Retirement System (FERS) retirees receive the same costof-living adjustment as Civil

Service Retirement System

(CSRS) retirees and Social

Security beneficiaries. • The FAIR Act, H.R. 392, which would provide federal employees with a 3.2 percent average pay raise in 2022 and would make progress toward closing the gap between public- and private-sector wages. The raise consists of a 2.2 percent acrossthe-board increase and an average 1 percent locality pay adjustment for most federal employees.

Visit www.narfe.org to access issue briefs on these topics and updates on other legislative priorities.

With pandemic social distancing requirements in effect across the country, expect that advocacy activities will remain virtual during the recess—and possibly for the remainder of the year. Other organizations are also looking to engage legislators during the recess, so remember to schedule meetings with your members of Congress as soon as possible—their schedules are likely to fill up fast. Visit www. townhallproject.com for a list of scheduled events in your state and congressional district.

Don’t limit your plans to just this recess. Visit www.house.gov and www.senate.gov to access 2021 congressional calendars, so you can map out scheduled recess periods for the remainder of the year.

Thank you for your advocacy and your continued support of NARFE’s legislative goals. Contact the advocacy staff at advocacy@narfe.org if you have any questions.

—BY MARSHA PADILLA-GOAD, GRASSROOTS PROGRAM MANAGER