Two Bipartisan bills cosponsored by Uifa’atali Amata set to be signed into law

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata welcomed final Senate passage last Friday of a bipartisan House bill she co-introduced, the FISHES Act, H.R. 5103. The legislation has been sent to President Biden to become law.

Amata is one of a bipartisan group of 11 original cosponsors at introduction, primarily from coastal districts, led by sponsor Congressman Byron Donalds of Florida, and including Congressman James Moylan of Guam.

“We live in harmony with a beautiful ocean, but it is capable of sudden, powerful disasters, which we have experienced,” said Congresswoman Amata. “Our bipartisan FISHES Act supports and instructs NOAA in providing strong and rapid response after emergencies to restore fisheries, and direct resources where most needed in those cases.”

The FISHES Act is fully titled the Fishery Improvement to Streamline untimely regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation Act.

The legislation is endorsed by many organizations including the National Audubon Society, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Captains for Clean Water, American Conservation Coalition Action, National Association of Charterboat Operators, and more.

SOCIAL SECURITY FAIRNESS ACT

In addition, Congresswoman Amata is welcoming final passage of the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, H.R. 82, which she also cosponsored. The bill originated in the House and has now been sent to President Biden to be signed into law, among a flurry of completed bills as the 118th Congress closes.

The bill ends two unnecessary and harmful provisions of the Social Security Act that unfairly reduce benefits for more than 2 million Americans who have had public service careers, such as police officers, firefighters, educators and government employees.

The bipartisan effort was sponsored by Rep. Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) and last month passed the House by a vote of 327-75.

“I appreciate our many retired public servants who gave many years of dedicated careers to professions that keep our communities safe, healthy, educated, and provide other necessities,” said Congresswoman Amata. “This change is the right thing to do, and it will improve the retired years of many Samoans and other Pacific Islanders who have served all over the United States. This improvement will help 2 million American retirees in receiving their full Social Security and spousal benefits with any other retirement income they are due.”

Specifically, the bill eliminates the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), allowing better retirement incomes for public service retirees, rather than having their or their spouses’ Social Security benefits reduced, solely because of the career they had working for federal, state and local governments.