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Session of 1999
          Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 1618           By Senators Hensley, Barone, Biggs, Downey, Feleciano, Gilstrap,           Gooch, Goodwin, Jones, Lee, Oleen, Petty, Steineger and Stephens           3-22          

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10             A  CONCURRENT RESOLUTION memorializing Congress to
11             strengthen Social Security.
12      
13      
14             WHEREAS,  Social Security provides American workers with univer-
15       sal, contributory, wage related, inflation-proof benefits in the event of the
16       retirement, disability or death of a primary wage earner; and
17             WHEREAS,  Social Security is more than a retirement program--it is
18       a family program. Without Social Security, about 54% of America's sen-
19       iors and more than 15 million beneficiaries overall would be living in
20       poverty. About 98% of children under age 18 can count on monthly cash
21       benefits if a working parent dies; and
22             WHEREAS,  Over the course of its existence as a federal program,
23       Social Security's trustees and administrators have carefully modified the
24       benefit and financing structure thereby ensuring the program's viability
25       in light of major demographic trends and economic developments; and
26             WHEREAS,  In his 1999 State of the Union address the President
27       urged Congress to save Social Security first and dedicate the majority of
28       the projected surplus to shoring up the solvency of Social Security; and
29             WHEREAS,  The long term solvency of Social Security can be ensured
30       for future generations if reasonable and timely adjustments to the pro-
31       gram are made by Congress: Now, therefore,
32             Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas, the House of Rep-
33       resentatives concurring therein: That we respectfully memorialize the
34       federal government to use the budget surplus to strengthen Social Se-
35       curity to ensure the continued financial viability of this essential program;
36       and
37             Be it further resolved: That we further memorialize the federal gov-
38       ernment to take immediate steps to ensure that Social Security remains
39       a universal, mandatory, contributory social insurance system where risk
40       is pooled among all workers, rather than transferred to each individual
41       worker; and
42             Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send
43       an enrolled copy of this resolution to each member of the Kansas Con-
44       gressional delegation.
45