Two pieces of legislation from U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson — including a bipartisan Clergy Act designed to give pastors and clergy members retirement security — sailed through the House of Representatives on Monday.
The House passed H.R. 2227, co-authored by Rep. Vince Fong, by a vote of 350-5.
“Faith leaders play a critical role in supporting our communities — offering them the flexibility to opt in to Social Security as they plan for retirement just makes sense,” said Thompson, a Democrat from District 4, in a press release. “I’m glad to co-lead this bipartisan effort with Rep. Fong, and I look forward to continuing our work to pass this into law.”
The Clergy Act aims to establish a one-time re-enrollment window for clergy members who previously opted out of Social Security, many in their youth, to voluntarily opt back in. Some faith leaders opted out decades ago, often due to inaccurate advice or conscientious objection, only to later face significant financial hardship. Under current law, this opt-out is permanent.
The new act creates a two-year window — covering taxable years beginning Jan. 1, 2028, and Jan. 1, 2029 — for eligible clergy members who previously opted out of Social Security to revoke their exemption and begin contributing. The legislation does not modify existing Social Security regulations, but eligible clergy must still meet the standard 10-year contribution requirement to earn full retired-worker benefits, receiving benefits proportional to their...
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