[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2559 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2559

 To amend title II of the Social Security Act to increase the level of 
 earnings under which no individual who is blind is determined to have 
 demonstrated an ability to engage in substantial gainful activity for 
                  purposes of determining disability.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 25, 2008

 Mr. Dodd (for himself and Mr. McCain) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title II of the Social Security Act to increase the level of 
 earnings under which no individual who is blind is determined to have 
 demonstrated an ability to engage in substantial gainful activity for 
                  purposes of determining disability.

    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 ``Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act 
of 2008''.

SEC. 2. INCREASE IN AMOUNT DEMONSTRATING SUBSTANTIAL GAINFUL ACTIVITY 
              IN THE CASE OF BLIND INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) In General.--Section 223(d)(4) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 423(d)(4)) is amended--
            (1) by striking the second sentence of subparagraph (A); 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
    ``(C) No individual who is blind shall be regarded as having 
demonstrated an ability to engage in substantial gainful activity on 
the basis of monthly earnings in any taxable year that do not exceed an 
amount equal to--
            ``(i) in the case of earnings in the taxable year beginning 
        after December 31, 2007, and before January 1, 2009, $1,800 per 
        month;
            ``(ii) in the case of earnings in the taxable year 
        beginning after December 31, 2008, and before January 1, 2010, 
        $2,200 per month;
            ``(iii) in the case of earnings in the taxable year 
        beginning after December 31, 2009, and before January 1, 2011, 
        $2,500 per month;
            ``(iv) in the case of earnings in the taxable year 
        beginning after December 31, 2010, and before January 1, 2012, 
        $2,850 per month; and
            ``(v) in the case of earnings in a taxable year beginning 
        after December 31, 2011, the exempt amount applicable under 
        section 203(f)(8) to an individual who has attained retirement 
        age (as defined in section 216(l)) before the close of the 
        taxable year involved.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2007.
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