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HR 2716
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Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act

H. R. 2716 To improve coordination between Federal and State agencies and the Do Not Pay working system.

Introduced Apr 8, 2025

Latest action (Jan 7, 2026) Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 371.

Referred to
Ways and Means Committee
Policy area
Social Welfare
Legislative subjects (3)
Disability assistanceIntergovernmental relationsSocial security and elderly assistance

Summary
  • Requires the Social Security Administration to share death information with the Do Not Pay working system to help prevent improper payments to deceased individuals and recover improperly paid benefits.
  • Establishes a cooperative arrangement between the Social Security Administration and the Do Not Pay agency with an agreement covering the proportional share of State death data costs.
  • Requires the Social Security Administration to record a death only upon finding clear and convincing evidence that an individual is deceased.
  • Requires the Social Security Administration to notify agencies with cooperative arrangements of errors when individuals are incorrectly identified as deceased.
  • The amendments take effect on December 27, 2026.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
2 cosponsors

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Clay Higgins’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

  • Employer not reported $14,100
  • SAFESOURCE DIRECT $10,500
  • THE PICARD GROUP $8,300
  • WINN CORRECTIONAL $6,666
  • PHI, INC. $6,600

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Clay Higgins → · Outside spending →

Actions (6)
  1. Jan 7, 2026 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 371. · house
  2. Jan 7, 2026 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Ways and Means. H. Rept. 119-426. · house
  3. Dec 10, 2025 Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 40 - 0. · house
  4. Dec 10, 2025 Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
  5. Apr 8, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. · house
  6. Apr 8, 2025 Introduced in House

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

  • S 269 — Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act (shares 3 subjects)
  • HR 5304 — Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 3 subjects)
  • HCONRES 113 — Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2027 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2028 through 2036. (shares 2 subjects)
  • S 2120 — Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 (shares 2 subjects)
  • HRES 1335 — Condemning actors seeking to defraud the United States Government, and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that governmentwide fraud and improper payment prevention reforms will meaningfully improve the financial prosperity of the United States, and that Federal program eligibility should be verified before payment. (shares 2 subjects)
  • HR 8463 — Pre-Payment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Access Act (shares 2 subjects)
  • HR 7567 — Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (shares 2 subjects)
  • HR 7148 — Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 2 subjects)

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • S 269 — Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act · Became Law Feb 10, 2026 · Cong. 119 70%
  • HR 3317 — Honoring Civil Servants Killed in the Line of Duty Act · Introduced Apr 27, 2026 · Cong. 119 65%
  • HR 1771 — Improper Payments Transparency Act · Introduced Mar 3, 2025 · Cong. 119 60%
  • HR 1301 — Death Tax Repeal Act · Introduced Feb 13, 2025 · Cong. 119 59%
  • HR 2687 — End Kidney Deaths Act · Introduced Apr 7, 2025 · Cong. 119 59%
  • HR 196 — Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act · Introduced Jan 3, 2025 · Cong. 119 58%

Text versions (2)
  • Reported in House · Jan 7, 2026
  • Introduced in House · Apr 8, 2025

Committee action

What happened to this bill in committee — the meetings where it was considered and every recorded vote taken on it.

  • the amendment offered by Mrfailed16–24
    Ways and Means CommitteeDec 10, 2025amendment▶ watch

    As published:Mr. Smith (MO) ✓ Mr. Neal ✓ Mr. Buchanan ✓ Mr. Doggett ✓ Mr. Smith (NE) ✓ Mr. Thompson ✓ Mr. Kelly ✓ Mr. Larson ✓ Mr. Schweikert ✓ Mr. Davis ✓ Mr. LaHood ✓ Ms. Sanchez Mr. Arrington ✓ Ms. Sewell Mr. Estes ✓ Ms. DelBene ✓ Mr. Smucker Ms. Chu ✓ Mr. Hern ✓ Ms. Moore (WI) ✓ Mrs. Miller (WV) ✓ Mr. Boyle ✓ Dr. Murphy ✓ Mr. Beyer ✓ Mr. Kustoff ✓ Mr. Evans Mr. Fitzpatrick ✓ Mr. Schneider ✓ Mr. Steube ✓ Mr. Panetta ✓ Ms. Tenney ✓ Mr. Gomez ✓ Mrs. Fischbach ✓ Mr. Horsford ✓ Mr. Moore (UT) ✓ Ms. Plaskett ✓ Ms. Van Duyne ✓ Mr. Suozzi ✓ Mr. Feenstra ✓ Ms. Malliotakis ✓ Mr. Carey ✓ Mr. Yakym ✓ Mr. Miller (OH) Mr. Bean ✓ Mr. Moran ✓ VOTES OF THE COMMITTEE In compliance with the Rules of the House of Representatives, the following statement is made concerning the vote of the Committee on Ways and Means during the markup consideration of H.R. 2716, “Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act” on December 10, 2025. The vote on the amendment offered by Mr. Doggett to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 2716, which would require the production of indeterminate documents by the Commissioner of Social Security was not agreed to by a roll call vote of 16 yeas to 24 nays (with a quoru

  • Mr. Smith (MO) ✓ Mr. Neal ✓ Mr. Buchanan ✓ Mr. Doggett ✓ Mr. Smith (NE) ✓ Mr. Thompson ✓ Mr. Kelly ✓ Mr. Larson ✓ Mr. Schweikert ✓ Mr. Davis ✓ Mr. LaHood ✓ Ms. Sanchez Mr. Arrington ✓ Ms. Sewell ✓ Mr.agreed40–0
    Ways and Means CommitteeDec 10, 2025report measure▶ watch

    As published:Mr. Smith (MO) ✓ Mr. Neal ✓ Mr. Buchanan ✓ Mr. Doggett ✓ Mr. Smith (NE) ✓ Mr. Thompson ✓ Mr. Kelly ✓ Mr. Larson ✓ Mr. Schweikert ✓ Mr. Davis ✓ Mr. LaHood ✓ Ms. Sanchez Mr. Arrington ✓ Ms. Sewell ✓ Mr. Estes ✓ Ms. DelBene ✓ Mr. Smucker Ms. Chu ✓ Mr. Hern ✓ Ms. Moore (WI) ✓ Mrs. Miller (WV) ✓ Mr. Boyle ✓ Dr. Murphy ✓ Mr. Beyer ✓ Mr. Kustoff ✓ Mr. Evans Mr. Fitzpatrick ✓ Mr. Schneider ✓ Mr. Steube ✓ Mr. Panetta ✓ Ms. Tenney ✓ Mr. Gomez ✓ Mrs. Fischbach ✓ Mr. Horsford ✓ Mr. Moore (UT) ✓ Ms. Plaskett ✓ Ms. Van Duyne ✓ Mr. Suozzi Mr. Feenstra ✓ Ms. Malliotakis ✓ Mr. Carey ✓ Mr. Yakym ✓ Mr. Miller (OH) Mr. Bean ✓ Mr. Moran ✓ VOTES OF THE COMMITTEE In compliance with the Rules of the House of Representatives, the following statement is made concerning the vote of the Committee on Ways and Means during the markup consideration of H.R. 2716, the “Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act,” on December 10, 2025. H.R. 2716 was ordered favorably reported to the House of Representatives as amended by a roll call vote of 40 yeas to 0 nays (with a quorum being present). The vote was as follows:

Meetings where this bill was on the agenda

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 8, 2025

Mr. Higgins of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

January 7, 2026

Additional sponsors: Mr. Meuser and Mrs. Miller-Meeks

January 7, 2026

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 8, 2025]

A BILL

To improve coordination between Federal and State agencies and the Do Not Pay working system.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act”.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING COORDINATION BETWEEN FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES AND THE DO NOT PAY WORKING SYSTEM.

(a) In General.—Section 205(r) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405(r)), as amended by section 801(a)(7) of title VIII of division FF of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), is amended by striking paragraph (11) and inserting the following:

“(11) The Commissioner of Social Security shall, to the extent feasible, provide information furnished to the Commissioner under paragraph (1) to the agency operating the Do Not Pay working system described in section 3354(c) of title 31, United States Code, for the authorized uses of the Do Not Pay working system to help prevent improper payments of, and support the recovery of improperly paid, benefits or other payments through a cooperative arrangement with such agency, provided that the requirements of subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (3) are met with respect to such arrangement with such agency. The Commissioner of Social Security and the agency operating the Do Not Pay working system shall, while the data described in the preceding sentence is being provided to the agency operating the Do Not Pay working system, enter into an agreement based upon an agreed upon methodology, which covers the proportional share of State death data costs, which the Commissioner of Social Security and the agency operating the Do Not Pay working system may periodically review.

“(12) The Commissioner of Social Security may not record a death to a record that may be provided under this section for any individual unless the Commissioner of Social Security has found it has clear and convincing evidence to support that the individual should be presumed to be deceased.”.

(b) Improving Coordination Regarding Individuals Incorrectly Identified as Deceased.—Section 205(r)(7) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405(r)(7)), as added by section 801(a)(4) of title VIII of division FF of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), is amended by striking “and” at the end of subparagraph

(A), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting “; and”, and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

“(C) notify any agency that has a cooperative arrangement with the Commissioner of Social Security under paragraph (3) or (11) of the error.”.

(c) Effective Date.—The amendments made by this section shall take effect on December 27, 2026. Union Calendar No. 371

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 2716

[Report No. 119-426]

A BILL

To improve coordination between Federal and State agencies and the Do Not Pay working system.

January 7, 2026

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

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