Social Security

• On March 14, 2018, the Senate amended and passed S. 2155, the “Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act,” by a vote of 67-31.  Section 215 would require SSA to accept the electronic consent of an individual who consents to allow a financial institution to verify his or her name, date of birth, and Social Security number using SSA’s Consent Based Social Security Number Verification Service (CBSV).  The House is expected to take up the bill shortly in connection with a number of banking bills already under consideration.

• On February 9, 2018, the President signed into law H.R. 1892, The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. This Bill, introduced on April 4, 2017 by Representative John Larson (D-CT), became Public Law 115-123. The Senate voted to approve the amended bill by a vote of 71-28, and the House voted to approve the amended bill by a vote of 240-186 on February 9, 2018.

• On February 5, 2018, the House passed H.R. 4547, The Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act. This bill was introduced on December 5, 2017 by Representatives Sam Johnson (R-TX) and John Larson (D-CT). The Bill passed the House under suspension of the rules, as amended, and agreed by a vote of 396-0.  In a letter to Acting Commissioner Nancy Berryhill, the Ways and Means Committee provided additional clarification regarding Congressional intent.

• On September 15, 2017, the President signed into law H.R. 624, the Social Security Number Fraud Prevention Act of 2017, which became Public Law 115-59. The Senate passed the bill on September 6, 2017, by unanimous consent. The bill previously passed the House with an amendment on May 24, 2017, by voice vote.  The law, among other things, restricts the inclusion of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) on documents sent by mail by the federal Government.
  Previous Action 02/14/17 

• On March 15, 2017, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs reported S. 218, the Social Security Fraud Prevention Act of 2017, with an amendment, by voice vote.  The bill would restrict the inclusion of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) on documents sent by mail by the Federal Government.  The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

• On February 28, 2017, pursuant to the Congressional Review Act (CRA), the President signed into law H. J. Res. 40, which became Public Law 115-8.  On February 15, 2017, the Senate passed the resolution by a vote of 57-43, without amendment.  The law provides for congressional disapproval of the Social Security Administration rule, Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007.
  Previous Action 02/02/17

• February 7, 2018 -- Statement of Gina Clemons, Associate Commissioner for Disability Policy, before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, on Ensuring the agency serves America's Veterans.

• January 24, 2018 -- Statement of Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications, before the Senate Special Committee on Aging, on Navigating Critical Decisions to Age Well.

• September 6, 2017 -- Statement of Bea Disman, Chief of Staff, before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, on determining eligibility for Disability Benefits.

• July 14, 2017 -- Statement of Stephen Goss, Chief Actuary, before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, on the 2017 Social Security Trustees Report.

• June 29, 2017 -- Statement of Marianna LaCanfora, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy, before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, on the Complexities and Challenges of Social Security Coverage and Payroll Tax Compliance for State and Local Governments.

• May 23, 2017 -- Statement of Marianna LaCanfora, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy, before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Technology, on Federal agencies’ efforts to reduce the unnecessary use of Social Security numbers.

• April 26, 2017 -- Statement of Sean Brune, Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Budget, Finance, Quality, and Management, before the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Social Security, on managing fraud risk in the disability program.

• March 22, 2017 -- Statement of Marianna LaCanfora, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy, before the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Social Security on Social Security’s Representative Payee Program.

• February 7, 2017 -- Statement of Marianna LaCanfora, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy, before the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Social Security on Social Security’s Representative Payee Program.

For additional information on legislation, you can use Congress.gov, which was developed by the Library of Congress to make federal legislative information freely available to the public. You can access Congress.gov at: https://www.congress.gov/.