Bill Details
View committees (1)
View cosponsors (10)
- Rep. Lee, Susie [D-Nevada-3]
- Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-North Carolina-1]
- Rep. Golden, Jared F. [D-Maine-2]
- Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-Kansas-3]
- Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-Pennsylvania-6]
- Rep. Harder, Josh [D-California-9]
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-Virginia-7]
- Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-New Hampshire-2]
- Rep. Johnson, Julie [D-Texas-32]
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-New Jersey-5]
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would change the rules for Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, for adults age 18 and older who have an intellectual or developmental disability. Right now, marriage can lower or even change a person’s SSI benefits because a spouse’s income and resources may be counted. This bill would stop that from happening for people covered by the bill, so getting married would not reduce their SSI just because of their spouse. Their benefits would still be based on their own income and resources, but not their spouse’s.
- It applies to adults 18 and older with an intellectual or developmental disability.
- For these individuals, a spouse’s income and resources would not count when deciding SSI eligibility or benefit amount.
- The person’s SSI payment would still be reduced by their own countable income, as under current rules.
- The bill is meant to remove the “marriage penalty” in SSI for people with these disabilities.
Official Summaries
Eliminating the Marriage Penalty in SSI Act or the EMPSA Act
This bill excludes a spouse's income and resources when determining eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and disregards marital status when calculating the SSI benefit amount, for an adult who has a diagnosed intellectual or developmental disability. (SSI is a federal income supplement program designed to help aged, blind, and disabled individuals with limited income and resources meet basic needs.)
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1757 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1757
To amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to provide that the
supplemental security income benefits of adults with intellectual or
developmental disabilities shall not be reduced by reason of marriage.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 27, 2025
Mr. Valadao (for himself and Ms. Lee of Nevada) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to provide that the
supplemental security income benefits of adults with intellectual or
developmental disabilities shall not be reduced by reason of marriage.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Eliminating the Marriage Penalty in
SSI Act'' or the ``EMPSA Act''.
SEC. 2. SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME BENEFITS.
(a) Eligibility for Benefits.--Section 1611(a) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1382(a)) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(4) Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection,
each individual who has attained 18 years of age, who is diagnosed with
an intellectual or developmental disability, whose income, other than
income excluded pursuant to section 1612(b), is at not more than the
rate in effect for purposes of paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection, and
whose resources, other than resources excluded pursuant to section
1613(a), are not more than the applicable amount in effect for purposes
of paragraph (3)(B) of this subsection, shall be an eligible individual
for purposes of this title.''.
(b) Amount of Benefit.--Section 1611(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C.
1382(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection,
the benefit under this title for an individual described in subsection
(a)(4) of this section, whether or not the individual has an eligible
spouse, shall be payable at the rate in effect for purposes of such
paragraph (1), reduced by the amount of income, not excluded pursuant
to section 1612(b), of the individual.''.
(c) Income and Resource Deeming Rules.--Section 1614(f) of such Act
(42 U.S.C. 1382c(f)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(5) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, for
purposes of determining eligibility for, and the amount of, benefits
for an individual described in section 1611(a)(4) who is married, the
income and resources of the individual is deemed to not include any
income or resources of the spouse.''.
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