I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3677 
To provide relief payments to recipients of social security and railroad 
retirement benefits, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 
Ms. GRANGER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure and Appropriations, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide relief payments to recipients of social security 
and railroad retirement benefits, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Save Our Seniors’ So-
cial Security Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. RELIEF PAYMENTS TO RECIPIENTS OF SOCIAL SE-
CURITY AND RAILROAD RETIREMENT BENE-
FITS. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO MAKE PAYMENTS.— 
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(1) ELIGIBILITY.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph 
(5)(B), the Secretary of the Treasury shall dis-
burse a $280 payment to each individual who, 
for any of the months of December 2009, Janu-
ary 2010, or February 2010, is entitled to a 
benefit payment described in clause (i) or (ii) of 
subparagraph (B). 
(B) BENEFIT PAYMENT DESCRIBED.—For 
purposes of subparagraph (A): 
(i) TITLE II BENEFIT.—A benefit pay-
ment described in this clause is a monthly 
insurance benefit payable (without regard 
to sections 202(j)(1) and 223(b) of the So-
cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(j)(1), 
423(b))) under— 
(I) section 202(a) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 402(a)); 
(II) section 202(b) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 402(b)); 
(III) section 202(c) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 402(c)); 
(IV) section 202(d)(1)(B)(ii) of 
such 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
402(d)(1)(B)(ii)); 
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(V) section 202(e) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 402(e)); 
(VI) section 202(f) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 402(f)); 
(VII) section 202(g) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 402(g)); 
(VIII) section 202(h) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 402(h)); 
(IX) section 223(a) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 423(a)); 
(X) section 227 of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 427); or 
(XI) section 228 of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 428). 
(ii) RAILROAD
RETIREMENT
BEN-
EFIT.—A benefit payment described in this 
clause is a monthly annuity or pension 
payment payable (without regard to section 
5(a)(ii) of the Railroad Retirement Act of 
1974 (45 U.S.C. 231d(a)(ii))) under— 
(I) section 2(a)(1) of such Act 
(45 U.S.C. 231a(a)(1)); 
(II) section 2(c) of such Act (45 
U.S.C. 231a(c)); 
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date but in no event later than 120 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. The Sec-
retary of the Treasury may disburse any pay-
ment electronically to an individual in such 
manner as if such payment was a benefit pay-
ment or cash benefit to such individual under 
the applicable program described in paragraph 
(1)(B). 
(B) DEADLINE.—No payments shall be 
disbursed under this section after December 31, 
2012, regardless of any determinations of enti-
tlement to, or eligibility for, such payments 
made after such date. 
(b) IDENTIFICATION OF RECIPIENTS.—The Commis-
sioner of Social Security and the Railroad Retirement 
Board shall certify the individuals entitled to receive pay-
ments under this section and provide the Secretary of the 
Treasury with the information needed to disburse such 
payments. A certification of an individual shall be unaf-
fected by any subsequent determination or redetermina-
tion of the individual’s entitlement to, or eligibility for, a 
benefit specified in subsection (a)(1)(B). 
(c) TREATMENT OF PAYMENTS.— 
(1) PAYMENT TO BE DISREGARDED FOR PUR-
POSES OF ALL FEDERAL AND FEDERALLY ASSISTED 
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PROGRAMS.—A payment under subsection (a) shall 
not be regarded as income and shall not be regarded 
as a resource for the month of receipt and the fol-
lowing 9 months, for purposes of determining the 
eligibility of the recipient (or the recipient’s spouse 
or family) for benefits or assistance, or the amount 
or extent of benefits or assistance, under any Fed-
eral program or under any State or local program fi-
nanced in whole or in part with Federal funds. 
(2) PAYMENT NOT CONSIDERED INCOME FOR 
PURPOSES OF TAXATION.—A payment under sub-
section (a) shall not be considered as gross income 
for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 
(3) PAYMENTS
PROTECTED
FROM
ASSIGN-
MENT.—The 
provisions 
of 
sections 
207 
and 
1631(d)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
407, 1383(d)(1)) and section 14(a) of the Railroad 
Retirement Act of 1974 (45 U.S.C. 231m(a)) shall 
apply to any payment made under subsection (a) as 
if such payment was a benefit payment or cash ben-
efit to such individual under the applicable program 
described in subsection (a)(1)(B). 
(4) PAYMENTS SUBJECT TO OFFSET.—Notwith-
standing paragraph (3), for purposes of section 
3716 of title 31, United States Code, any payment 
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made under this section shall not be considered a 
benefit payment or cash benefit made under the ap-
plicable program described in subsection (a)(1)(B) 
and all amounts paid shall be subject to offset to 
collect delinquent debts. 
(d) PAYMENT TO REPRESENTATIVE PAYEES AND FI-
DUCIARIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In any case in which an in-
dividual who is entitled to a payment under sub-
section (a) and whose benefit payment or cash ben-
efit described in paragraph (1) of that subsection is 
paid to a representative payee or fiduciary, the pay-
ment under subsection (a) shall be made to the indi-
vidual’s representative payee or fiduciary and the en-
tire payment shall be used only for the benefit of the 
individual who is entitled to the payment. 
(2) APPLICABILITY.— 
(A) PAYMENT ON THE BASIS OF A TITLE 
II BENEFIT.—Section 1129(a)(3) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a–8(a)(3)) shall 
apply to any payment made on the basis of an 
entitlement to a benefit specified in subsection 
(a)(1)(B)(i) in the same manner as such section 
applies to a payment under title II of such Act. 
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(B) PAYMENT ON THE BASIS OF A RAIL-
ROAD
RETIREMENT
BENEFIT.—Section 13 of 
the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231l) 
shall apply to any payment made on the basis 
of an entitlement to a benefit specified in sub-
section (a)(1)(B)(ii) in the same manner as 
such section applies to a payment under such 
Act. 
(e) APPROPRIATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Out of any sums in the 
Treasury of the United States not otherwise appro-
priated, the following sums are appropriated for the 
period of fiscal years 2010 through 2012 to carry 
out this section: 
(A) For the Secretary of the Treasury, 
$131,000,000 for administrative costs incurred 
in carrying out this section. 
(B) For the Commissioner of Social Secu-
rity— 
(i) such sums as may be necessary for 
payments to individuals certified by the 
Commissioner of Social Security as entitled 
to receive a payment under this section; 
and 
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(ii) $90,000,000 for the Social Secu-
rity Administration’s Limitation on Admin-
istrative Expenses for costs incurred in 
carrying out this section. 
(C) For the Railroad Retirement Board— 
(i) such sums as may be necessary for 
payments to individuals certified by the 
Railroad Retirement Board as entitled to 
receive a payment under this section; and 
(ii) $1,400,000 to the Railroad Retire-
ment Board’s Limitation on Administra-
tion for administrative costs incurred in 
carrying out this section. 
(2) LIMITATION.—No part of any appropriation 
contained in paragraph (1) shall remain available for 
obligation beyond fiscal year 2012. 
SEC. 3. FUNDING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Effective on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, of the unobligated balance of the discre-
tionary appropriations made available by division A of the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public 
Law 111–5), there is rescinded the amount determined by 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to 
be required to offset the increase in spending resulting 
from the provisions of section 2. 
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