Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2019
Latest action · Oct 30, 2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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.
- IntroducedOct 30, 2019
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2019
This bill modifies eligibility for, and other components of, Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This needs-based program, administered by the Social Security Administration, provides cash benefits to the aged, blind, and disabled.
Among other changes, the bill increases income and resource limits used to determine SSI eligibility. Current law excludes from income limits the first $240 of income from sources other than earnings and the first $780 of earned income. The bill increases these amounts to $1,476 and $4,788, respectively. Current law also allows SSI recipients to have $2,000 in resources if they are single or $3,000 in resources if they are married. The bill increases those amounts to $10,000 and $20,000, respectively. The bill also excludes from income and resource determinations (1) support furnished in kind, and (2) state tax refunds derived from specified state tax credits.
In addition, the bill equalizes treatment of married couples when both spouses receive SSI. Under current law, such a married couple receives a lower benefit amount and is subject to lower income and resource limits than would apply to two unmarried individuals. The bill instead sets benefit amounts and limits for these married couples at a rate that is twice that of unmarried SSI recipients.
Additionally, the bill eliminates the penalty for transfers of certain resources. Under current law, SSI recipients who transfer resources for less than fair market value may lose SSI eligibility for up to 36 months. The bill repeals this loss of eligibility.
The bill also indexes annual benefit increases to a price index that reflects the spending patterns of elderly consumers.
Cosponsors 12
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 30, 2019 to Sep 30, 2020; 9 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | Oct 30, 2019 |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Original | Oct 30, 2019 |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Original | Oct 30, 2019 |
| D-CA | Kamala D. Harris | Original | Oct 30, 2019 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | Oct 30, 2019 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | Oct 30, 2019 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | Oct 30, 2019 |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Original | Oct 30, 2019 |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Original | Oct 30, 2019 |
| D-IL | Tammy Duckworth | Dec 5, 2019 | |
| D-MI | Gary C. Peters | Feb 24, 2020 | |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Sep 30, 2020 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Finance Committee | Referred Oct 30, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 30, 2019Introduced in Senate
- Oct 30, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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.
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R45791 | Poverty Among the Population Aged 65 and Older | Report | Dec 6, 2022 |
| R46617 | Potential Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Income Security of Older Americans | Report | Nov 24, 2020 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 4280 | Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2019 | Related bill | Sep 11, 2019 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to update eligibility for the supplemental security income program, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2019
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Social Welfare.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 30, 2019Introduced in Senate
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.
