H.R. 1506 (119th)Bill Overview

SWIM Act of 2025

Taxation|Taxation
Cosponsors
Support
Bipartisan
Introduced
Feb 21, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief
Plain-English summaryWhat this bill actually does

The bill amends Internal Revenue Code section 213 to treat "qualified water competency and water safety lesson expenses" as deductible medical expenses. It defines qualifying instruction and necessary equipment, caps annual benefits at $500 per taxpayer ($1,000 for joint returns or heads of household), limits single-item equipment reimbursements to $100, excludes competitive or training lessons, and applies to taxable years after enactment.

Why people may split

Equity: liberals emphasize low-income exclusion; conservatives focus on private responsibility.

Watch point

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a focused statutory amendment to the Internal Revenue Code that clearly inserts a new qualified expense category under section 213(d) with specified monetary limits and an effective date.

The bill amends Internal Revenue Code section 213 to treat "qualified water competency and water safety lesson expenses" as deductible medical expenses.

It defines qualifying instruction and necessary equipment, caps annual benefits at $500 per taxpayer ($1,000 for joint returns or heads of household), limits single-item equipment reimbursements to $100, excludes competitive or training lessons, and applies to taxable years after enactment.

Passage38/100

Technically simple and politically uncontroversial but is a tax expenditure with revenue impacts and limited beneficiary reach; standalone passage in Senate is the main barrier.

CredibilityPartially aligned

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a focused statutory amendment to the Internal Revenue Code that clearly inserts a new qualified expense category under section 213(d) with specified monetary limits and an effective date. The core mechanism is well-specified in statutory language but several practical and definitional details are omitted.

Contention30/100

Equity: liberals emphasize low-income exclusion; conservatives focus on private responsibility.

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Likely benefits vs burdens50% / 50%
Local governmentsTaxpayers · Federal agencies

These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.

Likely helped
  • Potential benefitMakes basic water safety lessons more affordable by creating a tax-deduction pathway for qualifying expenses.
  • Potential benefitMay encourage increased enrollment in swimming instruction, potentially lowering drowning risks over time.
  • Local governmentsCould generate modest additional demand for swim instructors and local lesson providers.
Likely burdened
  • TaxpayersPrimary beneficiaries likely to be taxpayers who itemize and meet the medical expense threshold.
  • Federal agenciesWill reduce federal revenue by an unspecified amount, creating a fiscal cost.
  • Potential burdenAdds tax complexity and recordkeeping to substantiate qualifying lessons and equipment purchases.
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Equity: liberals emphasize low-income exclusion; conservatives focus on private responsibility.
Progressive70%

Likely to welcome the bill's child-safety focus and support for water competency, but note equity and effectiveness limits.

Will view it as a modest, incremental step that does not substitute for publicly funded swim access or a refundable benefit.

Leans supportive
Centrist80%

Will see the bill as a small, targeted policy to improve child safety with limited budget exposure.

Supports the principle but wants clarity on cost, IRS guidance, and whether it disproportionately aids higher-income itemizers.

Leans supportive
Conservative60%

Likely to view the bill favorably as encouraging parental responsibility and private solutions to safety concerns, but some will object to expanding medical deductions.

Concerns include government picking favored private activities and added tax-code complexity.

Split reaction
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood38/100

Technically simple and politically uncontroversial but is a tax expenditure with revenue impacts and limited beneficiary reach; standalone passage in Senate is the main barrier.

Scope and complexity
24%
Scopenarrow
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • No age/minor limitation in statutory text despite bill title
  • Absence of CBO/JCT cost estimate in text
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

No vote history yet

The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Equity: liberals emphasize low-income exclusion; conservatives focus on private responsibility.

Technically simple and politically uncontroversial but is a tax expenditure with revenue impacts and limited beneficiary reach; standalone…

Unlocked analysis

Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a focused statutory amendment to the Internal Revenue Code that clearly inserts a new qualified expense category under section 213(d) with specified monetary limit…

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
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