Railroad Retirement Disability Earnings Act
Public Law 109-478 · H.R. 5483 · 109th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Jan 12, 2007 · Transportation and Public Works
Sponsor: Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
Cosponsors (10): Rep. James Oberstar, Rep. Steven LaTourette,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Railroad Retirement Disability Earnings Act - Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to replace the $400 in earnings limit that an individual under retirement age can earn while continuing to receive an annuity due to a disabling permanent physical or mental condition with a monthly allowable earning. Replaces the $4,800 in earnings limit that such an individual can earn while continuing to receive such an annuity with an annual earning limitation computed by totaling the monthly allowable earning for each month of the year. Sets forth a calculation for determining payment of the annuity if the annual earning exceeds the annual allowable earning. Sets the monthly allowable earning at $700 and for years after 2007 as the larger of the amount for the previous year or the amount calculated using a formula based on the national average wage index.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 20 actions.
- Jan 12, 2007Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-478.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jan 3, 2007FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 11, 2006FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 9, 2006FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 13, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sep 28, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate.
- Sep 27, 2006FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5483.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. LaTourette moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Sep 19, 2006CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 400.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Transportation. H. Rept. 109-669.
- Jul 19, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- May 26, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads.
- May 25, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.