HR 397 — A Resolution urging the Congress of the United States to pass H.R. 2540, the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act, and increase resource limits for Supplemental Security Income.

PRINTER'S NO.   2794

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 397
                                               Session of
                                                 2026

     INTRODUCED BY HOHENSTEIN, CERRATO, KHAN, HOWARD, ISAACSON,
        FREEMAN, KINKEAD, BOYD, PIELLI, HILL-EVANS, KAZEEM, SANCHEZ,
        BURGOS, MADDEN, RIVERA, HADDOCK, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, BELLMON,
        BOROWSKI, DALEY AND HANBIDGE, JANUARY 22, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND
        OPERATIONS, JANUARY 26, 2026


                               A RESOLUTION
 1   Urging the Congress of the United States to pass H.R. 2540, the
 2      SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act, and increase resource
 3      limits for Supplemental Security Income.
 4      WHEREAS, Supplemental Security Income provides monthly
 5   financial assistance to adults 65 years of age or older, and
 6   individuals who are blind or have disabilities that
 7   substantially limit their earnings; and
 8      WHEREAS, Supplemental Security Income is limited to
 9   individuals who are earning less than $1,971 from work monthly
10   and have little to no other income and resources; and
11      WHEREAS, In 2022, there were 328,915 recipients of
12   Supplemental Security Income benefits in Pennsylvania; and
13      WHEREAS, Resources that count toward eligibility for
14   Supplemental Security Income include cash, bank accounts,
15   stocks, mutual funds, United States savings bonds, land, life
16   insurance, personal property, vehicles and other things that
17   could be changed to cash and used for food or shelter; and
 1      WHEREAS, Countable resources for an individual applying for
 2   Supplemental Security Income may not total more than $2,000, or
 3   $3,000 for a couple; and
 4      WHEREAS, If an individual's resources are over the limit at
 5   the beginning of the month, the individual cannot receive
 6   Supplemental Security Income for that month; and
 7      WHEREAS, More than half of people collecting Supplemental
 8   Security Income benefits have no other source of income; and
 9      WHEREAS, An individual who mistakenly receives benefits while
10   exceeding the resource limit may be expected to pay back the
11   overpayment months or years later; and
12      WHEREAS, Supplemental Security Income resource limits have
13   not been changed or adjusted for inflation since 1989; and
14      WHEREAS, Current resource limits may prevent individuals who
15   have disabilities from receiving benefits or cause the fear of
16   losing Supplemental Security Income benefits; and
17      WHEREAS, The fear of losing benefits or actual loss of
18   benefits may be especially prevalent for couples, as some of a
19   spouse's resources may be deemed as belonging to the person
20   applying for Supplemental Security Income; and
21      WHEREAS, The fear of losing benefits may cause married
22   couples to divorce or prevent couples from marrying or living
23   together, as that can be considered holding out and qualifies
24   them for the $3,000 resource limit; and
25      WHEREAS, Approximately 70,000 people see a reduction in
26   benefits and 40,000 people see their benefits terminated each
27   year because they exceed resource limits; and
28      WHEREAS, Current resource limits prevent individuals from
29   having savings, life insurance policies, accessing health care,
30   owning or renting a home and having other assets that could

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 1   improve their quality of life; and
 2      WHEREAS, Research suggests that higher resource limits would
 3   help families out of poverty and aid them in reaching financial
 4   security and stability; and
 5      WHEREAS, Increases to resource limits would also decrease
 6   administrative costs for the Social Security Administration and
 7   may reduce the amount of payment errors; and
 8      WHEREAS, H.R. 2540, the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act,
 9   has been introduced in the 119th United States Congress to
10   increase resource limits used to determine eligibility for
11   Supplemental Security Income to $10,000 for an individual and
12   $20,000 for a couple; and
13      WHEREAS, The SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act is
14   bipartisan and bicameral legislation; and
15      WHEREAS, The SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act has been
16   endorsed by many agencies, including the United States Chamber
17   of Commerce, the American Association of Retired Persons, the
18   American Academy of Pediatrics, the Autism Society of America,
19   the National Down Syndrome Society, Muscular Dystrophy
20   Association and Paralyzed Veterans of America; and
21      WHEREAS, The House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of
22   Pennsylvania recognizes that proposed increases in the SSI
23   Savings Penalty Elimination Act would help more individuals with
24   disabilities and individuals 65 years of age or older in
25   applying for and retaining Supplemental Security Income
26   benefits; therefore be it
27      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
28   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
29   States to pass H.R. 2540, the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination
30   Act, and increase resource limits for Supplemental Security

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1   Income; and be it further
2      RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
3   each member of the United States House Committee on Ways and
4   Means and to each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.




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