[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 106 (Thursday, July 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8283-S8284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Ms. Collins):
  S. 1251. A bill for the relief of Nancy B. Wilson; to the Committee 
on Finance.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today along with my colleague from 
Maine to introduce legislation for the relief of Nancy Wilson of 
Bremen, ME, who has been denied widow's benefits from Social Security 
despite the very extenuating circumstances of her case.
  Nancy Wilson was denied Social Security widow's benefits because she 
had not been married to the late Alphonse Wilson for the required nine-
month period prior to his death even though they had lived together as 
a couple for 19 years. Alphonse had been unable to marry Nancy earlier 
because Massachusetts law forbade him from divorcing his first wife, 
Edna, due to her being institutionalized with a mental illness. Upon 
Edna's death on April 12, 1969, Alphonse and Nancy were married just 20 
days later, with Alphonse dying on December 5, 1969.
  While the nine-month requirement for receiving widow's benefits was 
understandably created to prevent marriages in anticipation of death, 
the reason for Nancy Wilson's delayed nuptials were clearly unique. 
Given the extenuating circumstances, I urge my colleagues to support 
this private relief bill for Nancy Wilson.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Snowe in 
introducing legislation for the private relief of Nancy B. Wilson. 
Nancy's compelling case merits such action.
  In 1945, Al Wilson was married with two children when tragedy struck 
the family. His wife Edna was institutionalized following a severe 
mental breakdown, and Al was left with no one to care for his children. 
Five years later, he met Nancy Butler, who took up residence with Al 
and began caring for his two children, as well as her own son. The 
eldest child has written that Nancy ``is the person who brought me up 
in place of my biological mother, who was institutionalized. I think of 
Nancy as my real mother.''
  Though Al and Nancy wished to get married, Al was prohibited from 
divorcing his first wife under a Massachusetts law barring divorce for 
reasons of insanity or institutionalization for insanity. Time passed, 
and although not legally married, Al and Nancy raised their family 
together.

[[Page S8284]]

  Edna Wilson died on April 12, 1969, and Al and Nancy were married 
twenty days later. Tragically, just seven months after their wedding, 
Al died of cancer. Though only married for those seven months, Al and 
Nancy had lived together for 19 years.
  When Nancy turned 64 she applied to the Social Security 
Administration for survivor's insurance benefits. She was told that a 
couple must be married for 9 months for the spouse to be eligible to 
collect survivor benefits, and that her legal marriage failed to meet 
that threshold. Nancy has since exhausted the administrative appeals 
process to no avail.
  The private relief bill we are introducing will simply allow Nancy to 
receive widow's benefits from her husband's earnings. Though Al and 
Nancy were legally prevented from being married for all but seven 
months of their years together, they were, for all practical purposes, 
married for 19 years. She raised his children, allowing him to work and 
accumulate a Social Security benefit.
  These unique circumstances illustrate why Congress must enact private 
relief legislation from time to time. Certainly, Nancy's unique 
situation fulfills the intent of the Social Security Act, and it is a 
situation that will not be repeated due to a change in Massachusetts 
law repealing the legal hurdle that prevented Al and Nancy from being 
married in the first place. Mrs. Wilson's case is truly compelling, and 
merits this corrective action by Congress. I urge my colleagues to 
support this measure.
                                 ______