PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3] · R–LA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 5, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-03 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would limit how Social Security recovers excess retirement payments caused by agency error. It would prevent recovery of qualifying overpayments more than six months old and limit monthly benefit reductions for recovery to 5 percent. Neither protection would apply if the agency determines that the recipient has ever committed fraud or similar fault in the program.
recovery from the person may not be made if— (I) the overpayment is related to an old-age insurance benefit to which such person is entitled under section 202(a); (II) the overpayment occurred more than 6 months before the date of the finding; and (III) the overpayment was a result of error on the part of the Commissioner.
the Commissioner may not decrease the amount of a monthly benefit payable to the person by more than 5 percent of the amount payable if— (I) the overpayment is related to an old-age insurance benefit to which such person is entitled under section 202(a); and (II) the overpayment was a result of error on the part of the Commissioner.
Clauses (ii) and (iii) shall not apply with respect to a payment made to a person if the Commissioner determines that the person has ever committed fraud or similar fault with respect to the program under this title.
The proposed recovery ban would require three conditions: the overpayment concerns a retirement benefit the person is entitled to receive under section 202(a), it occurred more than six months before the Commissioner's finding, and it resulted from the Commissioner's error. The six-month period would be measured backward from that finding.
(ii) In any case in which the Commissioner finds that more than the correct amount of payment has been made to a person, recovery from the person may not be made if— (I) the overpayment is related to an old-age insurance benefit to which such person is entitled under section 202(a); (II) the overpayment occurred more than 6 months before the date of the finding; and (III) the overpayment was a result of error on the part of the Commissioner.
Subject to the fraud exception, the bill would limit monthly benefit reductions for recovery to 5 percent of the amount payable when the overpayment concerns an entitled retirement benefit and resulted from the Commissioner's error. This limit would not depend on the overpayment being more than six months old; it limits monthly withholding, rather than setting a maximum total debt.
(iii) In any case in which the Commissioner finds that more than the correct amount of payment has been made to a person, the Commissioner may not decrease the amount of a monthly benefit payable to the person by more than 5 percent of the amount payable if— (I) the overpayment is related to an old-age insurance benefit to which such person is entitled under section 202(a); and (II) the overpayment was a result of error on the part of the Commissioner.
Clauses (ii) and (iii) shall not apply with respect to a payment made to a person if the Commissioner determines that the person has ever committed fraud or similar fault with respect to the program under this title.
The Commissioner would determine whether the fraud exception applies. A determination that a person has ever committed fraud or similar fault in the program would remove both proposed protections; the exception is not limited to fraud involving the particular overpayment being recovered.
(iv) Clauses (ii) and (iii) shall not apply with respect to a payment made to a person if the Commissioner determines that the person has ever committed fraud or similar fault with respect to the program under this title.
The bill would also make section 204(a)(2) subject to the new recovery protections and fraud exception. The supplied text does not reproduce that existing provision, so its broader operation cannot be explained from this bundle.
(d) Conforming amendment Section 204(a)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 404(a)(2)) is amended by striking Notwithstanding and inserting Subject to clauses (ii), (iii), and (iv) of paragraph (1)(A), but notwithstanding.
If enacted, the amendments would take effect on the enactment date and apply to Social Security title II overpayments outstanding on or after that date. This would include qualifying unpaid overpayments that arose before enactment.
(e) Effective date The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act, and shall be effective with respect to overpayments under title II of the Social Security Act that are outstanding on or after such date.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated September 5, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Ways and Means on September 3, 2026. It does not establish what happened after that snapshot.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-05T12:58:28Z. 2026-09-03: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. 2026-09-03: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-03. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No narrow preferential carve-out beyond the main policy's intended coverage was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 5, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI