I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1876 
To prevent closure of social security field and hearing offices and resident 
stations. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 5, 2025 
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut (for himself, Mr. NEAL, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 
HORSFORD, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. BISHOP, Mr. DELUZIO, Mr. NADLER, 
Ms. TLAIB, Ms. JACOBS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, 
Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. TITUS, Mr. COHEN, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, 
Ms. BUDZINSKI, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. CHU, Ms. SEWELL, 
Mr. BOYLE
of Pennsylvania, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. IVEY, Mrs. 
CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mrs. MCIVER, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. DELAURO, 
Mr. TAKANO, Ms. ELFRETH, Ms. ANSARI, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. SUOZZI, 
Mr. KHANNA, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. MCCOLLUM, 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. THOMPSON of 
California, Mr. STANTON, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. NORTON, Mr. JOHNSON 
of Georgia, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Mr. CARSON, Mr. 
SORENSEN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. LANDSMAN, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. 
HUFFMAN, Mr. POCAN, Mr. AMO, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. UNDER-
WOOD, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. RILEY of New York, Ms. PLASKETT, Ms. RAN-
DALL, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. BROWN, Ms. PETTERSEN, Mr. MFUME, Mr. 
SWALWELL, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. MORELLE, Ms. MATSUI, and Mr. 
MCGARVEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To prevent closure of social security field and hearing offices 
and resident stations. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Keeping Our Field 
Offices Open Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PREVENTING CLOSURE OF FIELD AND HEARING OF-
FICES AND RESIDENT STATIONS. 
(a) MORATORIUM ON CLOSURE OR CONSOLIDATION 
OF FIELD OR HEARING OFFICES OR NEW LIMITATIONS 
ON ACCESS TO SUCH OFFICES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graphs (2) and (3), the Commissioner of Social Se-
curity shall take no action on or after the date of 
enactment of this Act to close or consolidate field or 
hearing offices or resident stations of the Social Se-
curity Administration or to otherwise impose any 
new limitation on access to such offices or stations. 
(2) EXCEPTION FOR EMERGENCY CLOSURES.— 
Paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to any 
temporary action by the Commissioner to close or 
otherwise limit access to field or hearing offices or 
resident stations in response to an emergency. 
(3) CESSATION OF MORATORIUM UPON REPORT 
TO CONGRESS.—Paragraph (1) shall cease to be ef-
fective on the date that is 180 days after the report 
described in paragraph (4) is submitted. 
(4) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not earlier than Jan-
uary 21, 2029, the Commissioner shall submit to the 
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Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Finance of 
the Senate a report outlining and justifying the 
process for selecting field or hearing offices or resi-
dent stations to be closed or consolidated or other-
wise to have limited access. Such report shall in-
clude— 
(A) an analysis of the criteria used for se-
lecting field or hearing offices and resident sta-
tions for closure, consolidation, or limited ac-
cess; 
(B) a description of how the Commissioner 
has analyzed and considered relevant factors, 
including transportation and communication 
burdens faced by individuals serviced by the of-
fices and stations, including elderly and dis-
abled individuals; and 
(C) a description of any method of cost- 
benefit analysis applied by the Commissioner in 
connection with closures and consolidations of 
such offices and stations, and other limitations 
on access the offices and stations, including any 
analysis that takes into account— 
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(i) the anticipated savings resulting 
from the closure, consolidation, or limita-
tion on access; 
(ii) the anticipated costs associated 
with replacing services lost by the closure, 
consolidation, or limitation on access; 
(iii) the anticipated effects on employ-
ees of the offices or stations affected; 
(iv) how the loss of access resulting 
from the closure, consolidation, or limita-
tion on access will be replaced by the es-
tablishment of a new field or hearing office 
or resident station, increased access at a 
different office or station, or some other 
means, and the factors considered by the 
Commissioner in determining how to re-
place such lost access; and 
(v) such other relevant factors as may 
be determined by the Commissioner, in-
cluding but not limited to transportation 
and communication burdens faced by indi-
viduals serviced by the offices and stations, 
including elderly and disabled individuals. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS FOR FUTURE CLOSURES, CON-
SOLIDATIONS, AND NEW LIMITATIONS ON ACCESS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 704 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 904) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(f)(1) FIELD AND HEARING OFFICES AND RESI-
DENT STATIONS.—Subject to paragraph (6), the Commis-
sioner may not close a field or hearing office or a resident 
station of the Administration, consolidate two or more 
such offices or stations, or otherwise impose any new limi-
tation on public access to any such office or station, unless 
the Commissioner complies with the requirements of para-
graphs (2), (3), (4), and (5) in connection with the clo-
sure, consolidation, or limitation on public access. 
‘‘(2)(A) The requirements of this paragraph are met 
in connection with a closure, consolidation, or new limita-
tion on access referred to in paragraph (1) only if— 
‘‘(i) not later than 120 days before the date of 
the closure, consolidation, or limitation on access, 
the Commissioner provides effective public notice of 
the proposed closure, consolidation, or limitation on 
access (including, to the extent practicable, notice by 
direct mailing and through community outlets such 
as newspapers and posting in heavily frequented 
public spaces) to individuals residing in the area 
serviced by the affected offices or stations; 
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‘‘(ii) the public notice issued pursuant to clause 
(i) includes information on— 
‘‘(I) how the Commissioner will, not later 
than 30 days after the date of the closure, con-
solidation, or limitation on access, replace the 
loss in access resulting from the closure, con-
solidation, or limitation on access by estab-
lishing a new office or station, increasing public 
access to a different office or station, or some 
other means; and 
‘‘(II) how to contact the Administration if 
an individual experiences service delays or prob-
lems as a result of the closure, consolidation, or 
limitation on access; and 
‘‘(iii) not earlier than 30 days after the 
issuance of public notice pursuant to clause (i) and 
not later than 45 days before the date of the pro-
posed closure, consolidation, or limitation on access, 
the Commissioner conducts at least 2 public hear-
ings (scheduled so that the first and last such hear-
ings are separated by at least 10 days), at which the 
Commissioner presents the justifications for the clo-
sure, consolidation, or limitation on access described 
in subparagraph (B) and provides for attendees an 
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‘‘(III) the anticipated effects on employees 
of the offices or stations affected; and 
‘‘(IV) such other relevant factors as may 
be determined by the Commissioner, including 
but not limited to transportation and commu-
nication burdens faced by individuals serviced 
by the offices and stations, including elderly 
and disabled individuals. 
‘‘(C) The notice provided pursuant to subparagraph 
(A)(i) shall include notice of the time and place of the 
public hearings to be conducted pursuant to clause (A)(iii) 
and of the right of aggrieved individuals to appeal to the 
Commissioner regarding the proposed closure, consolida-
tion, or limitation on access pursuant to paragraph (4). 
‘‘(3) The requirements of this paragraph are met in 
connection with a closure, consolidation, or limitation on 
access referred to in paragraph (1) only if, not later than 
30 days before the date of the proposed closure, consolida-
tion, or limitation on access, the Commissioner submits 
to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee on Finance of the Senate, 
and each Member of the Congress representing a State 
or congressional district in which the affected office or of-
fices, or station or stations, are located a detailed final 
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report in support of the closure, consolidation, or limita-
tion on access. Such report shall include— 
‘‘(A) the justifications described in paragraph 
(2)(B), (including any amendments made to such 
justifications after the public hearings conducted 
pursuant to paragraph (2)(A)); 
‘‘(B) any findings made by the Commissioner 
pursuant to the public hearings; 
‘‘(C) the status of any appeals regarding the 
closure, consolidation, or new limitation on access 
which were commenced pursuant to paragraph (4) 
before the date of the report; 
‘‘(D) the final decision of the Commissioner re-
garding the closure, consolidation, or new limitation 
on access; and 
‘‘(E) such other information as the Commis-
sioner considers relevant. 
‘‘(4)(A) Upon timely request by any individual who 
makes a showing in writing described in subparagraph (B) 
in connection with a proposed closure, consolidation, or 
limitation on access referred to in subparagraph (A), the 
Commissioner shall give such individual an opportunity for 
a hearing with respect to the closure, consolidation, or lim-
itation on access. The request for the hearing shall be con-
sidered timely only if it is made not later than 30 days 
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before the proposed date of the closure, consolidation, or 
limitation on access. The Commissioner shall submit to 
the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Rep-
resentatives, the Committee on Finance of the Senate, and 
each Member of the Congress representing a State or con-
gressional district in which the affected office or offices, 
or station or stations, are located the Commissioner’s find-
ings based on the hearing and a description of any action 
taken or to be taken by the Commissioner on the basis 
of such findings. 
‘‘(B) A showing described in subparagraph (A) shall 
consist of a showing that— 
‘‘(i) the determination of the Commissioner to 
close a field or hearing office or resident station, 
consolidate field or hearing offices or resident sta-
tions, or impose a new limitation on access to such 
offices or stations is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse 
of discretion, not in accordance with law, or not 
based on substantial evidence; or 
‘‘(ii) the Commissioner has failed to observe 
procedures required by law in connection with the 
closure, consolidation, or new limitation on access. 
‘‘(5) The requirement of this paragraph is met in 
connection with a closure, consolidation, or limitation on 
access referred to in paragraph (1) only if such closure, 
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consolidation, or limitation on access will not result in the 
total number of field or hearing offices and resident sta-
tions of the Administration falling below the total number 
of such offices and stations that were in operation on Jan-
uary 20, 2025. 
‘‘(6) Paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to 
any temporary action by the Commissioner to close or oth-
erwise limit access to field or hearing offices or resident 
stations in response to an emergency.’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by paragraph (1) of this subsection shall apply with 
respect to closures and consolidations of field or 
hearing offices and resident stations and impositions 
of new limitations on access to such offices and sta-
tions occurring after the cessation of the moratorium 
under subsection (a) of this section. 
Æ 
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