Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act
U.S. Congress · S269 ·
What the bill says
Introduced 2025-01-28. Latest action: Became Public Law No: 119-77.
Summary (plain-language)
Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act This act permanently allows the Department of the Treasury to access certain death records maintained by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to help prevent and recover improper payments (e.g., payments to deceased individuals). The act also establishes evidentiary requirements the SSA must meet before identifying an individual as deceased. Current law requires the SSA to share its Death Master File with the Do Not Pay system maintained by Treasury for three years. The act makes this requirement permanent. Treasury must enter into an agreement with the SSA related to Treasury's share of the cost of state death data. The act also prohibits the SSA from recording a death in the master file unless the SSA has clear and convincing evidence that the individual should be presumed deceased. If an individual is incorrectly identified as deceased and provides the SSA with supporting documentation, the SSA may notify certain agencies that have access to the master file, including Treasury and federal or state agencies that provide or disburse federally funded benefits.
Sponsors
Text versions
What analysts say
No nonpartisan analysis on file for this measure yet.
What politicians say
No linked claims or utterances yet — no one on record has cited this measure to justify a public argument.
Action History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 2026-02-10 | Signed by President. |
| 2026-02-10 | Became Public Law No: 119-77. |
| 2026-02-03 | Presented to President. |
| 2026-01-12 | Mr. Smith (MO) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. |
| 2026-01-12 | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H634-637) |
| 2026-01-12 | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 269. |
| 2026-01-12 | Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H634) |
| 2026-01-12 | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H634) |
| 2026-01-12 | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. |
| 2025-10-10 | Received in the House. |
| 2025-10-10 | Held at the desk. |
| 2025-10-08 | Message on Senate action sent to the House. |
| 2025-09-19 | Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent. |
| 2025-09-19 | Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6798) |
| 2025-09-19 | Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. |
| 2025-09-19 | Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S6798) |
| 2025-07-30 | Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. |
| 2025-01-28 | Introduced in Senate |
| 2025-01-28 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. |
Lobbying on this bill
Showing 2 of 2 bill mentions.
Honesty note: each filer below disclosed lobbying on this bill — that much the filing tells us. But the dollar figure is their total lobbying spend for the whole quarter across all their issues, not the amount spent on this bill, and the filing never says whether they supported or opposed it.
| Registrant (lobbying firm) | Client | Period | Reported quarterly amount | Extraction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NATIONAL POTATO COUNCIL | NATIONAL POTATO COUNCIL | Q2 2026 | $72,500 | |
| NATIONAL POTATO COUNCIL | NATIONAL POTATO COUNCIL | Q1 2026 | $72,500 |
Source: Senate LDA filings.