S 478 · 116th Congress 2019โ€“2021, ended

Social Security Expansion Act

Latest action · Feb 13, 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.

  1. IntroducedFeb 13, 2019
  2. Passed SenateNot reached
  3. Passed HouseNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Social Security Expansion Act

This bill increases benefits and certain taxes related to Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance.

Changes to benefits include (1) increasing the primary insurance amount for certain beneficiaries; (2) revising the method of calculating cost-of-living adjustments; (3) establishing a new minimum benefit for certain low earners; and (4) allowing certain children of retired, deceased, or disabled workers to receive benefits until age 22 if they are a full-time students.

Changes to taxes include increasing the net investment income tax for certain taxpayers and extending payroll taxes on wages, salaries, and self-employment earnings to income above $250,000. Under current law, the maximum amount subject to the Social Security payroll tax is $132,900 for 2019.

The bill also combines the existing Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund into a single Social Security Trust Fund.

Cosponsors 4

Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Feb 13, 2019.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-NJCory A. BookerOriginalFeb 13, 2019
D-ORJeff MerkleyOriginalFeb 13, 2019
D-CAKamala D. HarrisOriginalFeb 13, 2019
D-NYKirsten E. GillibrandOriginalFeb 13, 2019

Committees 1

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

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
SenateFinance Committee
Referred Feb 13, 2019

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Feb 13, 2019Introduced in Senate
  2. Feb 13, 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 1

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 1

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

ProductTitleKindPublished
R46819Social Security: The Effects of Wage and Price Indexing on BenefitsReportJun 16, 2021

Related bills 2

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

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 1170Social Security Expansion ActRelated billFeb 14, 2019
S 1950Strengthen Social Security by Taxing Dynastic Wealth ActRelated billJun 25, 2019

Titles 2

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

Official Title as Introduced
A bill to enhance Social Security benefits and ensure the long-term solvency of the Social Security program.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
Social Security Expansion Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Social Welfare.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Feb 13, 2019Introduced in Senate

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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.