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Washington, D.C. --Legislation that would protect women's pensions was proposed Thursday by Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, D-Ill., and Representative Barbara Kennelly, D-Conn.

The Comprehensive Women's Pension Protection Act of 1997 would improve the security, equity and accessibility of pension programs for women.

"Many of America's women are facing a retirement without economic security," Senator Moseley-Braun said. "The majority of the elderly in this country are, and will continue to be, women, and our retirement system is failing them."

Representative Kennelly said, "America's workers are increasingly women, and so are America's retirees. Yet only a minority of women retirees receive any pension benefits at all. We must address this issue."

Fewer than one-third of retired women in the United States have pensions, and most of those who receive private retirement benefits are paid less than $5,000 a year.

Social Security reforms are being debated in Congress and throughout the nation, but regardless of any changes that may be made in social security, it alone does not provide for a secure retirement, especially for women.

Senator Moseley-Braun called on Congress to tear down "a brick wall of pension law" that she said prevents women from investing enough in their future.

"Pension laws were not written to reflect the patterns of women's work or women's lives," the senator added. "Women are more likely to move in and out of the workforce, work at home, earn less for the work they do, and work in low-paying industries. Women are also more likely to be widowed or divorced, live alone, and live longer in their retirement years, leaving them without adequate coverage."

Representative Kennelly added, "Populations age, patterns of work change, and our pension laws must keep pace. Enacting these changes will ensure a pension system more attentive to the needs of women workers."

The legislation introduced simultaneously in the House and Senate would:

Eliminate by 2004 the ability of employers to reduce pension benefits by a percentage of Social Security that a worker is entitled to receive.

Require employers to provide for an automatic division of pension benefits earned by a couple during a marriage that lasted at least five years but ended in divorce. The provision would not affect cases where a judge dealt with pension benefits in a divorce decree.

Allow courts to reopen divorce court judgements entered before 1985 to give women a legal opportunity to claim part of their ex-husbands' pensions. The current law only applies to divorces after 1985.

Repeal Railroad Retirement System provision that provide pension benefits to widows only if their late husbands already had begun collecting benefits or prohibit divorced widows from collecting full, court-ordered retirement benefits.

Pay survivor benefits to widows of men who were in the Civil Service Retirement System who died after leaving federal government jobs but before they began collecting retirement benefits.

Make changes in laws governing increasingly popular 401(k) programs to protect women's investments.

Create a women's pension hotline to provide basic information about pension laws and options.