Title: Automatic Cash Assistance Act
Policy area: Taxation

Summary:
Automatic Cash Assistance Act
This bill allows recipients of Social Security, railroad retirement, and veterans disability benefits to automatically receive stimulus payments under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or the CARES Act regardless of whether they filed income tax returns in 2018 or 2019. Recipients will also receive the $500 stimulus payment for each dependent child.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4495 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4495

  To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for automatic 
   advance refunds of additional stimulus tax credits for specified 
                  individuals, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 6, 2020

 Ms. Hassan (for herself, Ms. Collins, and Ms. Sinema) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                                Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for automatic 
   advance refunds of additional stimulus tax credits for specified 
                  individuals, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Automatic Cash Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. ENSURING AUTOMATIC ADVANCE REFUNDS OF ADDITIONAL STIMULUS TAX 
              CREDITS FOR SPECIFIED INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other law, with respect to any 
stimulus tax credit which is allowed to any specified individual who, 
at the time of any determination of any advance refund of such credit 
(as described in subsection (b)(1)(C)), has not filed a tax return for 
such individual's first taxable year beginning in 2018 or 2019--
            (1) determine the amount of such advance refund with 
        respect to such individual without regard to any limitation 
        based on income and on the basis of information with respect to 
        such individual which is provided by--
                    (A) in the case of a specified social security 
                beneficiary or a specified supplemental security income 
                recipient, the Commissioner of Social Security,
                    (B) in the case of a specified railroad retirement 
                beneficiary, the Railroad Retirement Board, and
                    (C) in the case of a specified veterans 
                beneficiary, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (in 
                coordination with, and with the assistance of, the 
                Commissioner of Social Security if appropriate), and
            (2) with respect to any amount of such advance refund which 
        is determined based upon the number of dependents of the 
        taxpayer, disburse any payment with respect to such amount 
        under rules similar to the rules of paragraph (7) of section 
        6428(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as added by 
        section 3).
    (b) Definitions and Special Rules.--
            (1) Stimulus tax credit.--For purposes of this section, the 
        term ``stimulus tax credit'' means any tax credit allowed under 
        the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which--
                    (A) is enacted after March 27, 2020, and before 
                December 31, 2020,
                    (B) is allowed to any eligible individual (as 
                defined in section 6428(d) of such Code), and
                    (C) provides for an advanced refund of such credit 
                in a manner similar to that provided under section 
                6428(f) of such Code.
            (2) Specified individual.--
                    (A) In general.--For purposes of this section, the 
                term ``specified individual'' means any individual who 
                is--
                            (i) a specified social security 
                        beneficiary,
                            (ii) a specified supplemental security 
                        income recipient,
                            (iii) a specified railroad retirement 
                        beneficiary, or
                            (iv) a specified veterans beneficiary.
                    (B) Specified social security beneficiary.--For 
                purposes of this section--
                            (i) In general.--The term ``specified 
                        social security beneficiary'' means any 
                        individual who, for the last month that ends 
                        prior to the date of enactment of the stimulus 
                        tax credit, is entitled to any monthly 
                        insurance benefit payable under title II of the 
                        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.), 
                        including payments made pursuant to sections 
                        202(d), 223(g), and 223(i)(7) of such Act.
                            (ii) Exception.--Such term shall not 
                        include any individual if such benefit is not 
                        payable for such month by reason of section 
                        202(x) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        402(x)) or section 1129A of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        1320a-8a).
                    (C) Specified supplemental security income 
                recipient.--For purposes of this section--
                            (i) In general.--The term ``specified 
                        supplemental security income recipient'' means 
                        any individual who, for the last month that 
                        ends prior to the date of enactment of the 
                        stimulus tax credit, is eligible for a monthly 
                        benefit payable under title XVI of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.) (other 
                        than a benefit to an individual described in 
                        section 1611(e)(1)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        1382(e)(1)(B))), including--
                                    (I) payments made pursuant to 
                                section 1614(a)(3)(C) of such Act (42 
                                U.S.C. 1382c(a)(3)(C)),
                                    (II) payments made pursuant to 
                                section 1619(a) (42 U.S.C. 1382h) or 
                                subsections (a)(4), (a)(7), or (p)(7) 
                                of section 1631 (42 U.S.C. 1383) of 
                                such Act, and
                                    (III) State supplementary payments 
                                of the type referred to in section 
                                1616(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
                                1382e(a)) (or payments of the type 
                                described in section 212(a) of Public 
                                Law 93-66) which are paid by the 
                                Commissioner under an agreement 
                                referred to in such section 1616(a) (or 
                                section 212(a) of Public Law 93-66).
                            (ii) Exception.--Such term shall not 
                        include any individual if such monthly benefit 
                        is not payable for such month by reason of 
                        subsection (e)(1)(A) or (e)(4) of section 1611 
                        (42 U.S.C. 1382) or section 1129A of such Act 
                        (42 U.S.C. 1320a-8a).
                    (D) Specified railroad retirement beneficiary.--For 
                purposes of this section, the term ``specified railroad 
                retirement beneficiary'' means any individual who, for 
                the last month that ends prior to the date of enactment 
                of the stimulus tax credit, is entitled to 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)),
                            (iii) section 2(d)(1) of such Act (45 
                        U.S.C. 231a(d)(1)), or
                            (iv) section 7(b)(2) of such Act (45 U.S.C. 
                        231f(b)(2)) with respect to any of the benefit 
                        payments described in subparagraph (B)(i).
                    (E) Specified veterans beneficiary.--For purposes 
                of this section--
                            (i) In general.--The term ``specified 
                        veterans beneficiary'' means any individual 
                        who, for the last month that ends prior to the 
                        date of enactment of the stimulus tax credit, 
                        is entitled to a compensation or pension 
                        payment payable under--
                                    (I) section 1110, 1117, 1121, 1131, 
                                1141, or 1151 of title 38, United 
                                States Code,
                                    (II) section 1310, 1312, 1313, 
                                1315, 1316, or 1318 of title 38, United 
                                States Code,
                                    (III) section 1513, 1521, 1533, 
                                1536, 1537, 1541, 1542, or 1562 of 
                                title 38, United States Code, or
                                    (IV) section 1805, 1815, or 1821 of 
                                title 38, United States Code,
                        to a veteran, surviving spouse, child, or 
                        parent as described in paragraph (2), (3), 
                        (4)(A)(ii), or (5) of section 101, title 38, 
                        United States Code.
                            (ii) Exception.--Such term shall not 
                        include any individual if such compensation or 
                        pension payment is not payable, or was reduced, 
                        for such month by reason of section 1505, 5313, 
                        or 5313B of title 38, United States Code.
                    (F) Subsequent determinations and redeterminations 
                not taken into account.--For purposes of this section, 
                any individual's status as a specified social security 
                beneficiary, a specified supplemental security income 
                recipient, a specified railroad retirement beneficiary, 
                or a specified veterans beneficiary shall be unaffected 
                by any determination or redetermination of any 
                entitlement to, or eligibility for, any benefit, 
                payment, or compensation, if such determination or 
                redetermination occurs after the last month that ends 
                prior to the date of enactment of the stimulus tax 
                credit.
                    (G) Payment to representative payees and 
                fiduciaries.--
                            (i) In general.--If the benefit, payment, 
                        or compensation referred to in subparagraph 
                        (B)(i), (C)(i), (D), or (E)(i) with respect to 
                        any specified individual is paid to a 
                        representative payee or fiduciary, payment by 
                        the Secretary of any advance refund with 
                        respect to such specified individual shall be 
                        made to such individual's representative payee 
                        or fiduciary and the entire payment shall be 
                        used only for the benefit of the individual who 
                        is entitled to the payment.
                            (ii) Application of enforcement 
                        provisions.--
                                    (I) In the case of a payment 
                                described in clause (i) which is made 
                                with respect to a specified social 
                                security beneficiary or a specified 
                                supplemental security income recipient, 
                                section 1129(a)(3) of the Social 
                                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a-8(a)(3)) 
                                shall apply to such payment in the same 
                                manner as such section applies to a 
                                payment under title II or XVI of such 
                                Act.
                                    (II) In the case of a payment 
                                described in clause (i) which is made 
                                with respect to a specified railroad 
                                retirement beneficiary, section 13 of 
                                the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 
                                231l) shall apply to such payment in 
                                the same manner as such section applies 
                                to a payment under such Act.
                                    (III) In the case of a payment 
                                described in clause (i) which is made 
                                with respect to a specified veterans 
                                beneficiary, sections 5502, 6106, and 
                                6108 of title 38, United States Code, 
                                shall apply to such payment in the same 
                                manner as such sections apply to a 
                                payment under such title.

SEC. 3. ALLOWING MULTIPLE PAYMENTS FOR RECOVERY REBATES TO SPECIFIED 
              INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (f) of section 6428 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986, as added by section 2201 of the CARES Act (Public 
Law 116-136), is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
            ``(7) Multiple payments.--In the case of any specified 
        individual (as defined in section 2(b)(2) of the Automatic Cash 
        Assistance Act), the Secretary shall, upon receipt of any 
        information necessary to determine the number of qualifying 
        children of such individual, disburse any payment as soon as 
        practicable to such individual pursuant to this subsection with 
        respect to any amounts described in subsection (a)(2), 
        regardless of whether any payment pursuant to this subsection 
        has been previously made to such individual.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect as if included in section 2201 of the CARES Act.
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