Montana labor news., 1945-12-06
BIGGER AND BETTER
PENSIONS PROPOSED

l. Creates national social insur-
lnce system consisting Of
a. Old-age retirement and surviv-
ors insurance; extended disability
insurance, lump-sum death benefits;
B. Unemployment and temporary
disability insurance; maternity bene-
fits;
c. Prepaid personal health service
insurance.
?. Provides for a permanent national
system Of public employment offices, to
)e administered by the Social Security
Board; repeals the Wagner-Payser Act;
the present employment serv-
ce, months after the end OF the war,
rom the War Manpower Commission
10 the new U. S. Employment Service
treated by the bill.
3. Extends and liberalizezs the pro-
visions Of federal old-age and SURVIVE
Drs insurance as follows
a. Includes extended disability pro-
lection for the insured person, with
additional payments for his wife,
children, or dependent parents;
b. Covers about IS million persons
not now covered, including owners Of
small businesses, self-employed pro-
fessional persons and farmers, agri-
cultural workers, domestic servants,
employees Of nonprofit institutions ;
employees Of state and local govern
mental units who are not under exist
ing pension systems may be covered
by voluntary compacts between those
units and the Social Security Board ;
C. Increases benefits by revising
calculation of average wage" and
adjusting the benefit formula, depend
ing upon amount OF insured persons
wages; increases minimum monthly
benefit from $40 to $40 for a single
worker and to $50 for a worker and
his wife; increases maximum month
ly benefit from S85 to Sl2O;
d. Reduces age OF eligibility for
women TO receive benefits from 65
to 90 "a widow with rependent chill
dren to receive benefits regardless
OF her age, as heretofore):
e. Provides benefits to disabled
husband 65 and over OF woman en-
titled to primary benefits and to dis
abled widower 65 and over OF woman
who died fully insured.
f. Provides for a lump-sum death
payment to the widow or widower
OF an insured worker, equal to six
times the primary benefit, if he or
she was living with the insured work.
er at time of death;
o. Protects and extends the social
security rights of all persons in the
armed forces by giving them wage
credits of 500 per month for the
entire period OF their military service,
without deductions from their pay The
cost would be borne by the federal gov
,rnment out of general revenue. War
veterans and their families would be
insured for all social insurance bene-
Its.
l. Establishes equal contribution
ltes for employees and employers
er cent on all wages received or paid,
up to the first $1,000 a year; provides
a per cent contribution rate for self
persons; provides a 2Hfo
per cent contribution rate for employees
and for the employing state and local
units which come under
.he system by voluntary compact; pro-
gides that all funds are to be deposited
in a social security trust fund managed
by a board of trustees Provision is
made for a government contribution to
The social insurance system in an
AMOUNT and at such times as the Con-
gress may determine, presumably at
such time as the contributions become
insufficient to meet current disburse-
nents.
8. Provides for federal social Sc
;urity advisory council representing
employers, employees and the general
public, to formulate policies of legisla-
lion and administration and to nvesti-
gate and make recommendations on
leverage adequacy OF benefits and fl
iancing-
a. Provision for variable grants to
the states, ranging from 50 to IS per
cent OF the total expended depend
ing upon the states per capita in
come;
b. Provision for federal sharing OF
state costs, on variable grant basis.
for money payments to any needy in
dividual (without any maximum);
c. Authorization for federal match
ing on variable grant basis for costs
to the states for medical services ;
such services as may assist in max
ing needy individuals self-supporting
and payments for foster children;
d. Provision for permitting the
states to exempt any amount up to
$50 per month from the income of an
individual applying for assistance
The bill also provides:
l. A l0-year program for the con-
and improvement OF hospitals
md health centers to be administered
~ the surgeon general OF the public
lealth service;
2. Increased federal grants for pub
ic health also administered by the
Public Health Service;
3. Increased federal grants for ma
ernal and child health and welfare
inder title V Of the Social Security
Act administered by the Chidren's
Bureau of the Department of Labor.
TAMPA, Fla.-FP)-Congress was
allied on to investigate the anti-labor
ipht OF Higoins Industries Inc IN n