“Most people don’t realize that retirement benefits for our nation’s seniors are not protected by law,” Rep. Jones said. “Americans have earned these benefits through a lifetime of hard work and deserve to have their benefits legally protected. We must ensure that their Social Security money is guaranteed.”

In 1960, the Supreme Court ruled in Flemming v. Nestor that Americans have no property rights to their Social Security benefits. The Social Security Guarantee Act addresses that problem by requiring the Secretary of Treasury to issue a certificate to each Social Security beneficiary, providing them a legally enforceable, written guarantee of a fixed monthly benefit plus a guaranteed annual cost of living increase.  In effect the bill would give seniors a legally binding property right to their Social Security benefits.  The Social Security Administration already has knowledge of how much each retiree is supposed to receive each month; therefore, this act would be easy to put into practice. 

“If we can give our retirees the legal right to their Social Security retirement benefits we would protect those who are least able to afford any benefit reductions,” Jones continued.  “Ultimately this legislation would give seniors the peace of mind that they deserve.”