President Joe Biden on Sunday signed into law a measure that boosts Social Security payments for current and former public employees, affecting nearly 3 million people who receive pensions from their time as teachers, firefighters, police officers and in other public service jobs.Advocates say the Social Security Fairness Act rights a decades-old disparity, though it will also put strain on Social Security Trust Funds, which face a looming insolvency crisis.The bill rescinds two provisions 맥스카지노� the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset 맥스카지노� that limit Social Security benefits for recipients if they get retirement payments from other sources, including public retirement programs from a state or local government.맥스카지노�The bill I'm signing today is about a simple proposition: Americans who have worked hard all their life to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity 맥스카지노� that's the entire purpose of the Social Security system,맥스카지노� Biden said during a signing ceremony in the White House East Room.맥스카지노�This is a big deal,맥스카지노� he said.Biden was joined by labor leaders, retirement advocates, and Democratic and Republican lawmakers including the legislation's primary sponsors, Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins and exiting Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who received a standing ovation from ceremony attendees.The Congressional Research Service estimated that in December 2023, there were 745,679 people, about 1% of all Social Security beneficiaries, who had their benefits reduced by the Government Pension Offset. About 2.1 million people, or about 3% of all beneficiaries, were affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision.The Congressional Budget Office estimated in September that eliminating the Windfall Elimination Provision would boost monthly payments to the affected beneficiaries by an average of $360 by December 2025. Ending the Government Pension Offset would increase monthly benefits in December 2025 by an average of $700 for 380,000 recipients getting benefits based on living spouses, according to the CBO. The increase would be an average of $1,190 for 390,000 or surviving spouses getting a widow or widower benefit.Those amounts would increase over time with Social Security맥스카지노�s regular cost-of-living adjustments.The change is to payments from January 2024 and beyond, meaning the Social Security Administration would owe back-dated payments. The measure as passed by Congress says the Social Security commissioner "shall adjust primary insurance amounts to the extent necessary to take into account맥스카지노� changes in the law. It's not immediately clear how this will happen or whether people affected will have to take any action.Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said firefighters across the country are 맥스카지노�excited to see the change 맥스카지노� we've righted a 40-year wrong.맥스카지노� Kelly said the policy was 맥스카지노�far more egregious for surviving spouses of firefighters who paid their own quotas into Social Security but were victimized by the government pension system.맥스카지노�The IAFF has roughly 320,000 members, which does not include hundreds of thousands of retirees who will benefit from the change.맥스카지노�Now firefighters who get paid very little can now afford to actually retire," Kelly said.Brown, who as an Ohio senator pushed for the proposal for years, lost his reelection bid in November. Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees labor union, thanked Brown for his advocacy.맥스카지노�Over two million public service workers will finally be able to access the Social Security benefits they spent their careers paying into," Saunders said in a statement. "Many will finally be able to enjoy retirement after a lifetime of service.맥스카지노�National Education Association President Becky Pringle said the law is 맥스카지노�a historic victory that will improve the lives of educators, first responders, postal workers and others who dedicate their lives to public service in their communities.맥스카지노�And while some Republicans such as Collins supported the legislation, others, including Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, voted against it. 맥스카지노�We caved to the pressure of the moment instead of doing this on a sustainable basis,맥스카지노� Tillis told The Associated Press last month.Still, Republican supporters of the bill said there was a rare opportunity to address what they described as an unfair section of federal law that hurts public service retirees.The future of Social Security has become a top political issue and was a major point of contention in the 2024 election. About 72.5 million people, including retirees, disabled people and children, receive Social Security benefits.The policy changes from the new law will heap more administrative work on the Social Security Administration, which is already at its lowest staffing level in decades. The agency, currently under a hiring freeze, has a staff of about 56,645 맥스카지노� the lowest level in over 50 years even as it serves more people than ever.The annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report released last May said the program맥스카지노�s trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2035. The new law will hasten the program맥스카지노�s insolvency date by about half a year.Along with ratifying the Social Security Fairness Act, earlier in his presidency Biden signed the Butch Lewis Act into law, which saved the retirement pensions of two million union workers. ___Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.