Legislative History
1935 Social Security Act
Shortly after enactment
of the Social Security law, the Social Security Board published a
set of three charts summarizing the major features of the new law.
The first Chart contained a summary of Titles II and VIII of the Act
(the Social Security program and taxing provisions of the law intended
to fund it).
The second Chart summarized the Title III Unemployment Compensation
program and the corresponding taxing provisions for Unemployment Insurance
(Title IX).
The third Chart summarized the remaining seven programs created under
the Act, all of which were in the form of grants to the States to
provide these programs. For these each of these seven programs a set
of defining categories is provided, such as which agencies had jursidiction
of the program, what the appropriation was for the coming year, etc.
Thus the three Charts, taken together, are a brief and accessible
summary of the entire Social Security Act of 1935.
Chart 1: SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS OF THE FEDERAL
SOCIAL SECURITY ACT RELATING TO FEDERAL OLD-AGE BENEFITS AND FEDERAL
EMPLOYMENT TAXES
(Public No. 271, 74th Cong. [H.R. 7260]; approved Aug. 14, 1935)
Federal Old-Age Benefits (Title II)
Federal Taxes With Respect To Employment
(Title VIII)
Chart 2: SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS OF THE FEDERAL
SOCIAL SECURITY ACT RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION
(To be administered by the Social Security Board established by title
VII of the act)
(Public No. 271, 74th Cong. [H.R. 7260]; approved Aug. 14, 1935)
Federal Grants To States For Administration
Of Unemployment Compensation (Title III)
Federal Tax Upon Employers Of Eight Or More
Employees (Title IX)
Chart 3: SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS OF THE FEDERAL
SOCIAL SECURITY ACT RELATING TO FEDERAL GRANTS TO STATES
(Public No. 271, 74th Cong. [H.R. 7260]; approved Aug. 14, 1935)
Old-Age Assitance
Aid To The Blind
Aid to Dependent Children
Maternal and Child Health
Crippled Children
Child Welfare
Public Health
NOTE TO CHART 3--The Social Security Act also authorizes in section
531 an appropriation of $841,000 for the fiscal year 1936, to be distributed
as grants to the States for vocational rehabilitation purposes, in
addition to the appropriation available under the provisions of existing
law; the Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Act is administered by
the Office of Education in the Department of the Interior. The Social
Security Act also authorizes in title III an appropriation of $4,000,000
for the fiscal year 1936, to be distributed as grants to the States
for the administration of their unemployment compensation laws.