PRINTER'S NO. 3580
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
515
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY HOHENSTEIN, CERRATO, M. BROWN, KHAN, HILL-EVANS,
HOWARD, FREEMAN, SANCHEZ, WAXMAN, GALLAGHER, ISAACSON,
MALAGARI, KENYATTA, GIRAL, BOROWSKI, BURGOS AND KAZEEM,
AUGUST 21, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, AUGUST 21, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to pass S.2767, the SSI
Savings Penalty Elimination Act and increase resource limits
for Supplemental Security Income.
WHEREAS, Supplemental Security Income provides monthly
financial assistance to adults 65 years of age or older, and
individuals who are blind or have disabilities that
substantially limit their earnings; and
WHEREAS, Supplemental Security Income is limited to
individuals who are earning less than $1,971 from work monthly
and have little to no other income and resources; and
WHEREAS, In 2022, there were 328,915 recipients of
Supplemental Security Income benefits in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Resources that count toward eligibility for
Supplemental Security Income include cash, bank accounts,
stocks, mutual funds, United States savings bonds, land, life
insurance, personal property, vehicles and other things that
could be changed to cash and used for food or shelter; and
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WHEREAS, Countable resources for an individual applying for
Supplemental Security Income may not total more than $2,000, or
$3,000 for a couple; and
WHEREAS, If an individual's resources are over the limit at
the beginning of the month, the individual cannot receive
Supplemental Security Income for that month; and
WHEREAS, More than half of people collecting Supplemental
Security Income benefits have no other source of income; and
WHEREAS, An individual who mistakenly receives benefits while
exceeding the resource limit may be expected to pay back the
overpayment months or years later; and
WHEREAS, Supplemental Security Income resource limits have
not been changed or adjusted for inflation since 1989; and
WHEREAS, Current resource limits may prevent individuals who
have disabilities from receiving benefits or cause the fear of
losing Supplemental Security Income benefits; and
WHEREAS, The fear of losing benefits or actual loss of
benefits may be especially prevalent for couples, as some of a
spouse's resources may be deemed as belonging to the person
applying for Supplemental Security Income; and
WHEREAS, The fear of losing benefits may cause married
couples to divorce or prevent couples from marrying or living
together, as that can be considered holding out and qualifies
them for the $3,000 resource limit; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 70,000 people see a reduction in
benefits and 40,000 people see their benefits terminated each
year because they exceed resource limits; and
WHEREAS, Current resource limits prevent individuals from
having savings, life insurance policies, accessing health care,
owning or renting a home and having other assets that could
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improve their quality of life; and
WHEREAS, Research suggests that higher resource limits would
help families out of poverty and aid them in reaching financial
security and stability; and
WHEREAS, Increases to resource limits would also decrease
administrative costs for the Social Security Administration and
may reduce the amount of payment errors; and
WHEREAS, S.2767, the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act, has
been introduced in the 118th United States Congress to increase
resource limits used to determine eligibility for Supplemental
Security Income to $10,000 for an individual and $20,000 for a
couple; and
WHEREAS, The SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act is
bipartisan and bicameral legislation; and
WHEREAS, The SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act has been
endorsed by many agencies, including the United States Chamber
of Commerce, the American Association of Retired Persons, the
American Academy of Pediatrics, the Autism Society of America,
the National Down Syndrome Society, Muscular Dystrophy
Association and Paralyzed Veterans of America; and
WHEREAS, The House of Representatives recognizes that
proposed increases in the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act
would help more individuals with disabilities and individuals 65
years of age or older in applying for and retaining Supplemental
Security Income benefits; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the Congress
of the United States to pass S.2767, the SSI Savings Penalty
Elimination Act, and increase resource limits for Supplemental
Security Income.
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