Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10608 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10608

To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide early access to 
   old-age insurance benefits for individuals engaged in physically 
                demanding jobs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 24, 2026

 Ms. Stevens introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide early access to 
   old-age insurance benefits for individuals engaged in physically 
                demanding jobs, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Blue Collar Social Security Fairness 
Act''.

SEC. 2. OLD-AGE INSURANCE BENEFITS FOR INDIVIDUALS ENGAGED IN 
              PHYSICALLY DEMANDING JOBS.

    (a) Old-Age Insurance Benefits.--Section 202(a)(2) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(a)(2)) is amended by inserting after ``62'' 
the following: ``(or, in the case of such a fully insured individual 
who is a covered worker (as defined in section 216(m)), has attained 
age 60)''.
    (b) Covered Worker Defined.--Section 216 of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 416) is amended by adding at the end the following:

                            ``Covered Worker

    ``(m)(1) The term `covered worker' means an individual who has 
earned--
            ``(A) 20 or more base points earned as described in 
        subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2); or
            ``(B) 15 or more adjusted points as described in 
        subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2).
    ``(2)(A) An individual shall be eligible to earn points under 
subparagraph (B) and (C) for a calendar year if the individual works at 
a physically demanding job not less than 8 months in such calendar 
year.
    ``(B) An eligible individual shall earn 1 base point for each 
calendar year under this subparagraph.
    ``(C) The number of points earned as described under this 
subparagraph shall be determined as follows:

``If, on December 31 of a calendar                 The number of points
        year,
the eligible individual is:                                  earned is:
        Not less than 18 and not more than age 34....               0.5
        Not less than age 35 and not more than age 44                 1
        Not less than age 45 and not more than age 54               1.5
        Not less than age 55.........................                 2

    ``(D)(i) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the 
Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act, the Commissioner of Social 
Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, shall publish, and update every 3 years 
thereafter, a list of occupations that are physically demanding jobs 
for the purposes of this subsection. Such list shall include each 
occupation that the Commissioner determines qualify as a physically 
demanding job, and the calendar years with respect to which such 
occupation qualifies as a physically demanding job. The Commissioner 
may not overturn or reverse any determination that an occupation 
qualifies as a physically demanding job with respect to a calendar year 
after publishing such determination.
    ``(ii) For the purposes of clause (i), an occupation shall be 
determined to qualify as a physically demanding job if the occupation, 
as a condition of employment, imposes on an individual substantial 
physical demands that may be reasonably expected to diminish the 
ability of the individual to perform such occupation, or other 
occupations imposing substantial physical demands, at an advanced 
age.''.
    (c) Inapplicability of Early Retirement Reduction.--Section 202(w) 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(w)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``paragraph (9)'' and 
        inserting ``paragraphs (9) and (12)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(12) This subsection shall not apply with respect to the 
        old-age benefit of an individual who is a covered worker (as 
        defined in section 216(m)).''.
    (d) Retirement Earnings Test.--Section 203(f)(8) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 403(f)(8)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking 
                ``subparagraph (D)'' and inserting ``subparagraphs (D) 
                and (E)''; and
                    (B) in clause (ii), by inserting before ``or 1992'' 
                the following: ``, 2025 (with respect to individuals 
                who are not described in subparagraph (D) and are 
                described in subparagraph (F)),''; and
            (2) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (F) 
        and inserting after subparagraph (D) the following:
            ``(E) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
        subsection (except for subparagraph (D)), the exempt amount 
        which is applicable to an individual who is a covered worker 
        (as defined in section 216(m)) shall be for each month of any 
        taxable year ending after 2026 and before 2028, $833.33\1/
        3\.''.
    (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to benefits paid for any month after 2026.
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