Murray Introduces Bill to Strengthen Social Security with Updates for Modern Workforce

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee introduced the Stronger Safety Net (SSN) Act, a set of common sense proposals to modernize, enhance, and protect Social Security. The bill offers provisions to shore up the Social Security Trust Fund, extend benefits for children in families facing hardship, and enhance benefits for workers--particularly women who are more likely to face financial hardship in retirement.

"For generations, our seniors and families facing hardship have benefited from the safety net provided by Social Security," said Senator Murray. "We owe it to current workers and future generations to make sure that net remains strong by modernizing it to address the needs of today's workforce, enhancing it to better support those at risk of falling through the cracks, and protecting it for future generations."

The SSN Act would update the Social Security Act--which passed over 80 years ago--to address the changes and needs of the modern workforce. With more dual-income families, more women in the workforce, fewer employers offering traditional pension plans, and higher education becoming more important and more expensive, the SSN Act would address these modern realities by strengthening Social Security to:

Enhance benefits for divorced spouses
Enhance benefits for widows and widowers
Extend benefits for children of workers who have retired, have a disability, or are deceased
Shore up the Social Security Trust fund by asking those who can afford it to pay their fair share

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