Bill > HR1757

This bill, known as the EMPSA Act (Eliminating the Marriage Penalty in SSI Act), aims to modify the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to prevent a reduction in benefits for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities when they get married. Specifically, the bill creates a new eligibility category for SSI benefits for individuals over 18 who have an intellectual or developmental disability, ensuring they can receive benefits at the full individual rate regardless of marital status. The bill makes three key changes to the Social Security Act: first, it establishes a new eligibility category for disabled adults that allows them to receive benefits based on their own income and resources, without having their spouse's income counted against them; second, it ensures that these individuals can receive benefits at the full individual rate; and third, it modifies the income and resource calculation rules so that a spouse's income and resources are not considered when determining the disabled individual's SSI eligibility or benefit amount. This change addresses a previous policy that often financially penalized disabled individuals for getting married by reducing their benefits, thereby supporting the financial independence and personal autonomy of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1757/all-info