Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act
Signed into law Feb 10, 2026 · Social Welfare
What this law does
- Makes permanent the Social Security Administration's sharing of its death records with Treasury's Do Not Pay system to stop payments to deceased people.
- Requires Treasury to make an agreement with Social Security on its share of the cost of state death data.
- Bars Social Security from recording a death unless it has clear and convincing evidence the person should be presumed deceased.
- Allows Social Security to notify certain agencies when a living person was wrongly listed as dead and provides proof.
Plain-language list by Voting On, based only on the official summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service and the bill's titles. Read the official summary.
How it became law
- IntroducedJan 28, 2025 · Senate
- 234 daysPassed SenateSep 19, 2025
- 115 daysPassed HouseJan 12, 2026
- 22 daysPresented to the PresidentFeb 3, 2026
- 7 daysSigned into lawFeb 10, 2026
Official summary
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.
Summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (Public Law, Feb 10, 2026).
Who wrote it
Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]
5 cosponsors: 3 Democrats, 2 Republicans. 1 signed on the day it was introduced, 4 joined later.
Show all cosponsors
| Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|
| Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] | Jan 28, 2025 | Original cosponsor |
| Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] | Feb 24, 2025 | |
| Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] | Mar 10, 2025 | |
| Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH] | Jul 29, 2025 | |
| Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL] | Jul 29, 2025 |
Recorded votes
No recorded roll-call votes. It passed by voice vote or unanimous consent, where individual votes are not recorded.
What was added
Amendments adopted (1)
| Amendment | Sponsor | What it did | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.Amdt. 3912 Sep 19, 2025 | John Kennedy (R-LA) | In the nature of a substitute. | Adopted agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. |
Sections in the final law that were not in the first version (Introduced in Senate) (0)
None. Every section heading in the final law was already in the first version (Introduced in Senate).
What was removed
Sections in the first version (Introduced in Senate) that did not make it into the law (0)
None. Every section heading from the first version (Introduced in Senate) remains in the law.
Compared by section heading between the Introduced in Senate text (Jan 28, 2025) and the Enrolled Bill text, both from GovInfo. Wording changes inside a section that kept its heading are not shown here; see the amendments and the text versions.
Proposed but not adopted
No amendments were voted down or withdrawn.
Full action history
Show all 22 official actions
| Feb 10, 2026 | Signed by President. |
| Feb 10, 2026 | Signed by President. |
| Feb 10, 2026 | Became Public Law No: 119-77. |
| Feb 10, 2026 | Became Public Law No: 119-77. |
| Feb 3, 2026 | Presented to President. |
| Feb 3, 2026 | Presented to President. |
| Jan 12, 2026 | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. |
| Jan 12, 2026 | Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H634) |
| Jan 12, 2026 | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H634) |
| Jan 12, 2026 | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 269. |
| Jan 12, 2026 | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H634-637) |
| Jan 12, 2026 | Mr. Smith (MO) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Held at the desk. |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Received in the House. |
| Oct 8, 2025 | Message on Senate action sent to the House. |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent. |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6798) |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S6798) |
| Jul 30, 2025 | Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. |
| Jan 28, 2025 | Introduced in Senate |
| Jan 28, 2025 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. |
Sources: Congress.gov (bill record, sponsors, actions, amendments, CRS summary) and GovInfo (official text). Days are calendar days.