By Katherine Gregg, Journal State House Bureau

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A California Congressman at the forefront of the national GOP drive to privatize Social Security is coming to Rhode Island on March 13 to help state Rep. John Loughlin raise money for his Congressional campaign.

Loughlin, R-Tiverton, announced Sunday that U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes will be the headliner at a $100-a-person, fundraiser for him March 13 at the Madeira Restaurant in East Providence. Loughlin is seeking the First District seat being vacated by Rep. Patrick Kennedy.

The Loughlin camp described Nunes as a four-term Congressman "from the agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley of California,'' whose family "immigrated to America from Portugal's Azores islands. They are part of a large Portuguese community living in the San Joaquin Valley, many of whom help to cultivate our nation's most productive farmland.

"Nunes currently serves on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes, health care, Social Security, trade and other important federal programs. He is also a member of the budget committee. As a leader in the Republican Conference, Nunes serves as an Assistant Republican Whip.''

Nunes is also a co-sponsor of the Republican-backed "Roadmap for America's Future,'' featured in a recent Time magazine article.

Key elements of the federal deficit-cutting proposal proposal include: "privatize Social Security by establishing opt-in individual accounts funded partly by payroll taxes ... raise the eligibility age for Medicare benefits for Americans currently under 55 and scrap the current system for one in which vouchers would be used to purchase private insurance,'' according to Time.

Nunes, who worked closely with the chief sponsor on the proposal, was quoted as saying that making it politically palatable would be a gradual process that starts with a serious debate, and "then, in 2012, if the conditions are right, to have a presidential candidate to campaign on this."

Asked where he stood on the Social Security proposal, Loughin said: "I think that citizens should be able to choose to put a portion of their Social Security retirement into private investment accounts, but it should be completely voluntary. Recent stock market volatility is going to cause some people to want to stay within the current system and that's fine.''

But when it came to scrapping and replacing the current Medicare system, he said: "I don't favor those aspects of the proposal.''