[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2187 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2187

  To update the supplemental security income program, and to increase 
       incentives for working, saving, and pursuing an education.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 21, 2003

  Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Stark, Mr. Levin, and Mr. 
  McDermott) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To update the supplemental security income program, and to increase 
       incentives for working, saving, and pursuing an education.

    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 ``SSI Modernization Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. GENERAL INCOME EXCLUSION.

    (a) Increase.--Section 1612(b)(2)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1382a(b)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ``$240'' and inserting 
``$480 (or, if greater, the amount determined under section 1617)''.
    (b) Cost-of-Living Adjustment.--Section 1617 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
1382f) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting ``subsection 
        (b)(2)(A) of section 1612,'' after ``section 1611,''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``section 1611'' and 
        inserting ``sections 1611 and 1612''.

SEC. 3. EARNED INCOME EXCLUSION.

    (a) Increase.--Section 1612(b)(4) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1382a(b)(4)) is amended by striking ``$780'' each place it 
appears and inserting ``$1,560 (or, if greater, the amount determined 
under section 1617)''.
    (b) Cost-of-Living Adjustment.--Section 1617(a)(1) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1382f), as amended by section 2(b)(1) of this Act, is amended by 
striking ``subsection (b)(2)(A)'' and inserting ``subsections 
(b)(2)(A), (b)(4)(A), (b)(4)(B), and (b)(4)(C)''.

SEC. 4. RESOURCE LIMITS.

    (a) Increase.--Section 1611(a)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1382(a)(3)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' the last place it appears; 
                and
                    (B) by inserting ``, and to $4,500 on January 1, 
                2004'' before the period; and
            (2) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' the last place it appears; 
                and
                    (B) by inserting ``, and to $3,000 on January 1, 
                2004'' before the period.
    (b) Cost-of-Living Adjustment.--Section 1617(a)(1) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1382f), as amended by sections 2(b)(1) and 3(b) of this Act, is 
amended by inserting ``(b)(3)(A), (b)(3)(B),'' after ``(b)(2)(A),''.

SEC. 5. INFREQUENT OR IRREGULAR INCOME EXCLUSION.

    Section 1612(b)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1382a(b)(3)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``$20'' and inserting 
        ``$40''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``$10'' and inserting 
        ``$20''.

SEC. 6. REDETERMINATIONS FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TURNING 18.

    Section 1614(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1382c(a)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(5) If, as of the date an individual attains 18 years of age, the 
individual is regularly attending (as defined in regulations) a 
secondary school or a local school system is maintaining responsibility 
for the individual through an individualized education plan, the 
individual shall not be considered to have attained 18 years of age for 
purposes of paragraphs (3) and (4) until the earlier of--
            ``(A) the earliest subsequent date the individual ceases to 
        be regularly attending a secondary school or participating in 
        such a plan; or
            ``(B) the date the individual attains 21 years of age.''.

SEC. 7. EXCLUSION OF EDUCATIONAL GRANTS.

    (a) Income Exclusion.--Section 1612(b)(7) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1382a(b)(7)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(7) any amount of any grant, scholarship, or fellowship 
        received to pay any cost related to attending an educational 
        (including technical or vocational education) institution, 
        including room and board;''.
    (b) Time-Limited Resource Exclusion.--Section 1613(a) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1382b(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (12);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (13) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (13) the following:
            ``(14) for the 9-month period beginning after the month in 
        which received, any amount of any grant, scholarship, or 
        fellowship received to pay any cost related to attending an 
        educational (including technical or vocational education) 
        institution, including room and board.''.
    (c) Applicability.--The amendments made by this section shall apply 
to amounts received on or after the effective date of this Act.

SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on January 1, 
2004.
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