Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady voted today to eliminate the "earnings limit" penalty that affects the Social Security benefits of nearly 800,000 working seniors ages 65 through 69. The Senior Citizens Freedom to Work Act of 2000, which passed the House with unanimous support and passed the U.S. Senate, will now go to the President for his signature. The President is expected to sign this legislation, while he threatens to veto the marriage penalty relief measure passed by the House last month.

Texas ranks fourth in the United States with the most seniors affected by the earnings test -- that is 64,461 people in Texas alone that will benefit by correcting this injustice.

"It is unfair to penalize seniors because they continue to work,"said Brady. "Especially since many seniors have to work to make ends meet. Just because a person turns 65 doesn't mean they can afford to give up their job - especially if Social Security is their only means of support."

Under current law, senior citizens of full retirement age (65-69) can only earn up to $17,000 without losing $1 of Social Security benefits for every $3 income over the limit.

"There is something terribly wrong with taking hard-earned money from people who have been contributing to Social Security for a long time, simply because they continue to work when they hit 65. Whether they depend on every penny of that Social Security check or paycheck, or just prefer to work, the government has no right to penalize them for doing so. It is just unfair," said Brady.

This is how the earnings limit works: A 66-year-old woman takes a job as a part-time cashier at a grocery store, basically because she needs the additional income. She currently receives $417 a month in Social Security earnings, which is $5,000 annually. At her part-time job, she will earn an annual salary of $18,500 - that is $1,500 over the earnings test limit ($17,000). Because she has gone over the limit in her earnings, the government will take 1/3 of the amount that is over the limit she is allowed to earn -- $500. That will come out of one month's earnings check which is $417 and then the additional $83 will come out of next month's check. So much for the additional income.