HR 647 · 113th Congress 2013–2015, ended

ABLE Act of 2014

Latest action · Jan 2, 2015 LAID ON THE TABLE - Without objection, the Chair announced that H.R. 647 is laid on the table.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedFeb 13, 2013
  2. Passed HouseDec 3, 2014
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014 or the ABLE Act of 2014 - Title I: Qualified ABLE Programs - (Sec. 101) States as the purposes of this title to: (1) encourage and assist individuals and families in saving private funds for the purpose of supporting individuals with disabilities to maintain health, independence, and quality of life; and (2) provide secure funding for disability-related expenses of beneficiaries with disabilities that will supplement, but not supplant, benefits provided through private insurance, title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) and title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, the beneficiary's employment, and other sources.

(Sec. 102) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from taxation a qualified ABLE program established and maintained by a state, or by an agency or instrumentality of the state, to pay the qualified disability expenses related to the blindness or disability of a program beneficiary, including expenses for education, housing, transportation, employment training and support, assistive technology and personal support services, health, prevention and wellness, financial management and administrative services, legal fees, and expenses for oversight and monitoring, funeral and burial expenses.

Requires officers and employees who have control of the qualified ABLE program to make reports as required by the Secretary of the Treasury. Imposes an additional 10% tax on individuals who do not use distributions from an ABLE account for disability expenses. Subjects ABLE accounts to the penalty tax for excess contributions and for failure to file required reports.

(Sec. 103) Requires amounts in ABLE accounts to be disregarded in determining eligibility for means-tested federal programs, except distributions for housing expenses under the supplemental security income program and for amounts in an ABLE account exceeding $100,000. Suspends the payment of supplemental security income benefits to an individual during any period in which such individual has excess resources in an ABLE account, but does not suspend or affect the Medicaid eligibility of such individual.

(Sec. 104) Amends the bankruptcy code to exclude funds placed in an account of a qualified ABLE program from a bankruptcy estate, but only if: (1) the designated beneficiary of such account was a child, stepchild, grandchild, or step grandchild of the debtor; (2) such funds are not pledged or promised to any entity in connection with any extension of credit and are not excess contributions to an ABLE account; and (3) such funds do not exceed $6,225 during a specified time period.

(Sec. 105) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit contributors to or beneficiaries of a qualified tuition program (529 program) to direct the investment of contributions to a 529 program (or any earnings thereon) up to two times in any calendar year (currently, no investment direction is allowed).

Title II: Offsets- (Sec. 201) Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits) of the Social Security Act to change the age at which disability benefits are no longer subject to reductions from 65 to the normal retirement age range as set forth in such Act.

(Sec. 202) Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) accelerate the beginning date for adjustments of relative value targets for misvalued services in Medicare physician fee schedules from 2017 to 2016; and (2) treat items and services for vacuum erection systems furnished on and after July 1, 2015, in the same manner as erectile dysfunction drugs for purposes of defining covered drugs under Medicare part D.

(Sec. 204) Amends the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 to delay to January 1, 2025, the implementation of oral-only end stage renal disease (ESRD)-related drugs in the ESRD prospective payment system.

(Sec. 205) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the Inland Waterways Trust Fund financing rate to 29 cents per gallon for fuel used after March 31, 2015.

(Sec. 206) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-certified professional employer organizations (PEOs) as employers for employment tax purposes (thus allowing such PEOs to pay wages and collect and remit payroll taxes on behalf of an employer).

Sets forth IRS certification requirements for PEOs, including independent financial review and reporting requirements. Requires a PEO, each year, to post a bond equal to the greater of 5% of the PEO's liability during the preceding calendar year (not exceeding $1 million) or $50,000.

(Sec. 207) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude dividends received by a U.S. shareholder from a controlled foreign corporation from the definition of "personal holding company income" for purposes of personal holding company taxation.

(Sec. 208) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require an annual inflation adjustment to tax penalty amounts for: (1) failure to file a tax return or pay tax, (2) failure to file certain information returns or registration statements, (3) noncompliance of tax return preparers, (4) failure to file partnership or S corporation returns, and (5) failure to file correct information returns or correct payee statements.

(Sec. 209) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from 15 to 30% the rate of the continuous levy on payments due to a Medicare provider or supplier for overdue taxes.

Recorded votes 1

Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.

Roll callQuestionResultDate
House 545Passed404–17Dec 3, 2014

Cosponsors 380

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 13, 2013 to Sep 10, 2014; 58 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-MSAlan NunneleeOriginalFeb 13, 2013
D-INAndré CarsonOriginalFeb 13, 2013
R-OHBill JohnsonOriginalFeb 13, 2013
R-FLC. W. Bill YoungOriginalFeb 13, 2013
R-WACathy McMorris RodgersOriginalFeb 13, 2013
D-MDChris Van HollenOriginalFeb 13, 2013
R-NJChristopher H. SmithOriginalFeb 13, 2013
R-MIDan BenishekOriginalFeb 13, 2013
R-WVDavid B. McKinleyOriginalFeb 13, 2013
D-RIDavid N. CicillineOriginalFeb 13, 2013
R-TNDavid P. RoeOriginalFeb 13, 2013
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonOriginalFeb 13, 2013
D-TXFilemon VelaOriginalFeb 13, 2013
R-VAFrank R. WolfOriginalFeb 13, 2013
D-VAGerald E. ConnollyOriginalFeb 13, 2013

Committees 2

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseWays and Means Committee
Referred Feb 13, 2013Markup Jul 31, 2014Reported Nov 12, 2014
HouseEnergy and Commerce Committee
Referred Feb 13, 2013Discharged Nov 12, 2014
Health Subcommittee
Referred Feb 15, 2013

Actions 19

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Jan 2, 2015LAID ON THE TABLE - Without objection, the Chair announced that H.R. 647 is laid on the table.
  2. Dec 3, 2014Rule H. Res. 766 passed House.
  3. Dec 3, 2014Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 766. (consideration: CR H8312-8322)
  4. Dec 3, 2014The rule provides for a closed rule for H.R. 5771 and H.R. 647.
  5. Dec 3, 2014DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 647.
  6. Dec 3, 2014The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR H8322)
  7. Dec 3, 2014POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on H.R. 647, the Chair put the question on passage, and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Reichert demanded a the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of passage until a time to be announced.
  8. Dec 3, 2014Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H8343-8344)
  9. Dec 3, 2014Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 404 - 17 (Roll no. 545). (text: CR H8312-8317)
  10. Dec 3, 2014Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  11. Dec 2, 2014Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 766 Reported to House. The rule provides for a closed rule for H.R. 5771 and H.R. 647.
  12. Nov 12, 2014Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Ways and Means. H. Rept. 113-614, Part I.
  13. Nov 12, 2014Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.
  14. Nov 12, 2014Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 456.
  15. Jul 31, 2014Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  16. Jul 31, 2014Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  17. Feb 15, 2013Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
  18. Feb 13, 2013Introduced in House
  19. Feb 13, 2013Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

In the Congressional Record 7

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
ExtensionsDebate and remarks E1824Peter J. Roskam R-ILDec 12, 2014
ExtensionsDebate and remarks E1783Dave Camp R-MIDec 10, 2014
House · ExtensionsDebate and remarks E1737, H8368, H8655Andy Barr R-KY, Glenn Thompson R-PA, Xavier Becerra D-CADec 4, 2014
HouseDebate and remarks H8282, H8285, H8305–H8310, H8312–H8322Text printed H8305, H8312–H8317Recorded votes H8310, H8343enactAnalyses H8321Ander Crenshaw R-FL, Cathy McMorris Rodgers R-WA, Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann R-TN, Chris Van Hollen D-MD, Christopher H. Smith R-NJ, Dave Camp R-MI, David G. Reichert R-WA, Eleanor Holmes Norton D-DC, Erik Paulsen R-MN, Frank Pallone, Jr. D-NJ, George Holding R-NC, Jim McDermott D-WA, John B. Larson D-CT, Kevin Cramer R-ND, Louise McIntosh Slaughter D-NY, Lynn Jenkins R-KS, Mark Meadows R-NC, Pete Sessions R-TX, Peter J. Roskam R-IL, Sander M. Levin D-MI, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX, Tammy Duckworth D-IL, Tom Price R-GADec 3, 2014
HouseDebate and remarks H8230, H8262Kevin Yoder R-KS, Michael G. Fitzpatrick R-PADec 2, 2014

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Committee report

Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 3

  1. Dec 2, 2014H.R. 647, Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act) of 2014As posted on the website of the House Committee on Rules on December 1, 2014
  2. Sep 23, 2014H.R. 647, Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014As ordered reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means on July 31, 2014. This estimate supersedes the previous estimate for H.R. 647, which was transmitted on August 27, 2014.
  3. Aug 28, 2014H.R. 647, Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014As ordered reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means on July 31, 2014

Constitutional authority

[Pages H7252-H7253] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] By Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio: H.R. 3542. Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: According to Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution: The Congress shall have power to enact this legislation to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes. ADDITIONAL SPONSORS Under clause 7 of rule XII, sponsors were added to public bills and resolutions as follows: H.R. 120: Ms. Edwards. H.R. 259: Mr. Kingston. H.R. 270: Mr. Ellison and Mr. Honda. H.R. 274: Mr. Keating. H.R. 351: Mr. McKeon. H.R. 543: Mr. Bishop of New York. H.R. 647: Mr. Mulvaney, Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia, Mr. Collins of Georgia, and Ms. Jackson Lee. H.R. 669: Mrs. Christensen. H.R. 676: Ms. McCollum. H.R. 685: Mr. Vela, Mr. Messer, Mr. Duncan of Tennessee, and Mrs. McMorris Rodgers. H.R. 713: Mr. Gibbs, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. LaMalfa, and Mr. Honda. H.R. 715: Mr. McNerney and Mr. Perlmutter. H.R. 809: Mr. Fincher. H.R. 919: Mr. Ryan of Ohio. H.R. 997: Mr. Latham and Mrs. Miller of Michigan. H.R. 1020: Ms. Foxx. H.R. 1024: Mr. Barrow of Georgia. H.R. 1124: Mrs. Beatty. H.R. 1179: Mr. Cohen and Mrs. Christensen. H.R. 1199: Mr. Garcia. H.R. 1209: Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Graves of Georgia, Mr. Pittenger, Mr. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, Mr. King of New York, and Ms. Fudge. H.R. 1248: Mr. Bachus. H.R. 1310: Mr. Lamborn. H.R. 1339: Mr. Lipinski and Mrs. Capito. H.R. 1428: Mr. Price of North Carolina. H.R. 1429: Mr. Bishop of New York. H.R. 1449: Mr. Ross, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mrs. Lummis, and Mr. Southerland. H.R. 1461: Mr. Hunter and Mr. Nugent. H.R. 1518: Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois, Mr. Crenshaw, and Mr. Bilirakis. H.R. 1563: Ms. Frankel of Florida, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, and Mr. Graves of Missouri. H.R. 1601: Mr. Cartwright. H.R. 1616: Mr. Gibson. H.R. 1666: Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Mr. Lipinski, and Ms. Eshoo. H.R. 1717: Mr. David Scott of Georgia and Ms. Kuster. H.R. 1726: Ms. Frankel of Florida. H.R. 1761: Mr. Roe of Tennessee. H.R. 1779: Mr. Peterson. H.R. 1830: Ms. Esty. H.R. 1851: Ms. Kuster and Mr. Horsford. H.R. 1852: Mr. Ross, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mrs. Lummis, Mr. Labrador, and Ms. Brownley of California. H.R. 1869: Mr. Wittman. H.R. 1878: Ms. Frankel of Florida. H.R. 1920: Mr. Rigell. H.R. 1985: Mr. Goodlatte. H.R. 1992: Mr. Kinzinger of Illinois and Mr. Sires. H.R. 2027: Mr. Cassidy. H.R. 2028: Mr. Tierney. H.R. 2144: Mr. Duncan of South Carolina. H.R. 2305: Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania. H.R. 2385: Mrs. Wagner. H.R. 2446: Mrs. Wagner. H.R. 2553: Ms. Moore, Ms. Schwartz, Ms. Titus, and Mr. George Miller of California. H.R. 2560: Mr. Rangel. H.R. 2607: Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Israel, and Mr. Pocan. H.R. 2619: Mr. Lowenthal. H.R. 2663: Mr. Ross. H.R. 2697: Mr. Bishop of New York, Ms. Kuster, and Mr. Johnson of Georgia. H.R. 2703: Mr. Doyle. H.R. 2725: Mr. Tiberi, Mr. Stutzman, and Ms. Wasserman Schultz. H.R. 2785: Mr. Renacci. H.R. 2791: Mr. Gibson and Mr. Huizenga of Michigan. H.R. 2818: Mr. Grijalva. H.R. 2945: Mr. Roskam. H.R. 3040: Mr. Gene Green of Texas. H.R. 3105: Mr. Goodlatte and Mr. Cotton. H.R. 3111: Mr. Johnson of Ohio. H.R. 3121: Mr. Renacci. H.R. 3125: Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Braley of Iowa, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Clay, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois, and Mr. Loebsack. H.R. 3135: Ms. McCollum. H.R. 3143: Mr. Israel. H.R. 3163: Mr. Moran. H.R. 3169: Mr. Burgess. H.R. 3189: Mr. Poe of Texas. H.R. 3206: Ms. Frankel of Florida. H.R. 3211: Mr. Fitzpatrick. H.R. 3240: Mr. Foster. H.R. 3297: Ms. Schakowsky. H.R. 3299: Mr. Ribble, Mr. Harris, Mr. Bentivolio, Mr. Boustany, and Mr. Roskam. H.R. 3303: Mr. Bilirakis. H.R. 3308: Mr. Pittenger. H.R. 3309: Mr. Johnson of Ohio and Mr. Larsen of Washington. H.R. 3322: Mr. Rangel. H.R. 3327: Mrs. Bustos. H.R. 3333: Mr. Pet[...]

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H7253.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
S. Hrg. 113-487TAKING A TOLL ON FAMILIES AND THE ECONOMY: THE RISING COST OF ALZHEIMER'S IN AMERICA86 pagesAppropriations CommitteeFeb 26, 2014

Amendments 1

Amendments offered to this bill.

AmendmentDescriptionOffered byStatus
HAmdt 1150No description on fileRules CommitteeHouse amendment offered

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Titles 7

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for the tax treatment of ABLE accounts established under State programs for the care of family members with disabilities, and for other purposes.
Short Titles as Introduced
Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2013
ABLE Act of 2013
Short Titles as Reported to House
ABLE Act of 2014
Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014
Short Titles as Passed House
ABLE Act of 2014
Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Taxation.

Text 2

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Nov 12, 2014Reported in House
  2. Feb 13, 2013Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.