Tom Krause, NOSSCR Litigation Director

On April 30, 2024, I attended the 2024 Harkin Retirement Security Symposium (#HarkinRetirement). You may be wondering, “Why? NOSSCR is concerned about disability benefits, not retirement benefits.” There are several reasons, but first a little history.

Tom Harkin was a good friend to NOSSCR, its members, and our clients. He was the son of a coal miner father and a Slovenian immigrant mother. Tom Harkin served in the Navy as a jet pilot from 1962 to 1967. After law school, he worked at Polk County Legal Aid with another young attorney, Robert W. Pratt. Bob Pratt was a long-time NOSSCR Sustaining Member. Years later, upon Sen. Harkin’s recommendation, President Bill Clinton appointed Bob Pratt to be a District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa in 1997. But that’s a story for another time.

Tom Harkin served 10 years in the House before he was elected to the Senate in 1985. He stayed in the Senate for 30 years. He authored the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and was its chief sponsor in the Senate. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Sen. Harkin helped lead the fight against Social Security privatization and sponsored legislation to strengthen the system and expand benefits. Sen. Harkin was Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee from 2009 to 2015. In 2013, Sen. Harkin introduced the Strengthening Social Security Act. That Act would amend the Social Security Act to adjust the benefit formula, resulting in a more generous monthly Social Security benefit. It would also change the way that cost-of-living adjustments are calculated and lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. Sen. Harkin also was active in combating the worst forms of child labor. In 2017, NOSSCR awarded Sen. Harkin its Eileen P. Sweeney Distinguished Service Award.

All that history is nice, but it doesn’t explain why NOSSCR is so interested in retirement security. Again, more background may help. The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement was founded in 2013 and is located at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. It serves as a venue and catalyst for dynamic non-partisan research, learning, and outreach to promote understanding of the policy issues to which Senator Tom Harkin devoted his career—including labor and employment, people with disabilities, retirement security, and wellness and nutrition.

In September 2023, the Harkin Institute held the first Harkin Retirement Security Symposium. The Symposium brought together policymakers and researchers actively working on Social Security reform and legislation. The Symposium focused on preserving and enhancing benefits to improve retirement security, specifically for groups who have no access to other retirement savings or have not accumulated sufficient retirement savings. Our very own David Camp, then the Interim CEO for NOSSCR, was a panelist for a session on The Status of Older Workers: Early Retirement and Long-Term Disability. NOSSCR was one of the sponsors of the 2023 Symposium. Also presenting were Stephen Goss, Chief Actuary for SSA; Nancy Altman, the President of Social Security Works; Rep. John Larson, Minority Chair, U.S. House Subcommittee on Social Security; and Kathleen Romig, then Director of Social Security and Disability Policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and now with Social Security.

Now, finally, to answer the question, “Why is NOSSCR interested in Retirement Security?” The short answer is that there are several reasons. One reason is the past support and collaboration between Sen. Harkin and the Harkin Institute and NOSSCR. Another reason is that several sessions addressed issues that affect our clients. One session this year, for example, centered on ABLE accounts. Another session focused on Medicare Advantage plans. The Symposium also provided a chance to meet others advocating for similar goals. Advocates at the Symposium included Harkin Institute staff, including Matthew Reed, Executive Director; Rayna Stoycheva, Director of Retirement Security Policy; and Daniel Van Sant, Director of Disability Policy. Presenters included Amber Christ, Justice in Aging; Joshua Pearson, a professor at Winona State University and Senior Fellow at The Harkin Institute; and Paige Yontz, Advocacy Manager, AARP Iowa.

Opportunities like the Harkin Symposium offer a good reminder to view your clients as holistically as possible. Having a working knowledge of retirement benefits and programs can greatly improve the advice you can provide. At NOSSCR, we understand the importance of staying connected to others in the Social Security advocacy community, and we are proud to be your voice at events like the Harkin Symposium.