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Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018

Public Law 115-165 · H.R. 4547 · 115th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Apr 13, 2018 · Social Welfare

Sponsor: Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX-3)

Cosponsors (75): Rep. John Larson,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 396 yea, 0 nay396–0
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

TITLE I--STRENGTHENING OVERSIGHT AND BENEFICIARY PROTECTION

(Sec. 101) This bill requires the Social Security Administration (SSA) to make annual grants to each state's protection and advocacy system for the purpose of conducting reviews of representative payees under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program and the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program. The SSA must also conduct periodic onsite reviews of individual and organizational payees.

(Sec. 102) The bill lessens certain monitoring requirements with respect to specified family members who are serving as representative payees.

(Sec. 103) The SSA must: (1) enter into agreements with each state for the purpose of sharing information to identify represented minor beneficiaries who are in foster care; and (2) determine the appropriate representative payee for any represented minor beneficiary who has entered foster care, exited foster care, or changed foster care placement in a given month.

The Government Accountability Office must report to specified congressional committees on certain issues related to represented minor beneficiaries in foster care.

(Sec. 104) The bill modifies provisions related to overpayment liability with respect to a represented minor beneficiary in foster care.

(Sec. 105) The SSA must report to specified congressional committees on certain issues related to representative payment with respect to SSI and OASDI benefits.

TITLE II--IMPROVING PAYEE SELECTION AND QUALITY

(Sec. 201) The bill provides for advance designation of representative payees.

(Sec. 202) In general, an individual who has been convicted of a felony, or of an attempt or a conspiracy to commit a felony, may not serve as a representative payee.

(Sec. 203) An individual who has a representative payee may not also serve as a representative payee.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 115th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 396 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

396 yea0 nay34 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(171)

Republicans who voted yea(225)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 758 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

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.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 16 actions.

  1. Apr 13, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-165.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Apr 3, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Mar 23, 2018FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Finance discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Feb 6, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  8. Feb 5, 2018FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  9. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 396 - 0 (Roll no. 51).House roll call 51
  10. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  11. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  12. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4547.
  13. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  14. FloorFloor · Mr. Brady (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  15. Dec 5, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
  16. 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.

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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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.