Sponsors (5)
The bill cleans up and simplifies Railroad Retirement statute language, but at the cost of potentially reducing benefits for some beneficiaries and creating short-term administrative uncertainty for adjudicators.
Railroad Retirement beneficiaries and the Railroad Retirement Board will face clearer statutory language because the bill removes an outdated or unclear paragraph, making benefit rules easier to interpret and administer.
Railroad Retirement beneficiaries (including middle‑class families and some veterans) who relied on the deleted paragraph could see reduced annuity payments or loss of a specific deduction/exemption/calculation rule.
State governments and the Railroad Retirement Board may face administrative uncertainty, additional rulemaking, or adjudication burdens because the provision is removed without a replacement, which could delay benefit determinations.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Deletes paragraph (6) from subsection (f) of 45 U.S.C. § 231a, changing a computation/eligibility rule under the Railroad Retirement Act.
Official title: To amend the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to eliminate certain deductions for annuities under the Act.
Introduced April 21, 2026 by Chris Deluzio · Last progress April 21, 2026
Deletes an existing paragraph from the Railroad Retirement Act that currently appears in 45 U.S.C. § 231a(f). The change removes a specific computation/eligibility provision tied to annuity calculations under the Railroad Retirement Act, which will alter how certain railroad retirement annuities are computed or who is eligible under that statutory subsection. The amendment only strikes that paragraph; it does not add replacement text, create new funding, or set an effective date in the text provided. The practical effect depends on what the removed paragraph had required or limited — it may broaden benefits or eligibility for some railroad retirees or remove a particular offset, deduction, or exclusion that previously applied.