[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 132 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 132

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives against reductions 
 in Social Security benefits and arbitrary reductions in the Consumer 
                              Price Index.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 24, 1997

 Mr. Sanders (for himself, Ms. Waters, Mr. Gejdenson, Mr. Pallone, Mr. 
 Dellums, Mr. Filner, and Ms. Christian-Green) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and 
  in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives against reductions 
 in Social Security benefits and arbitrary reductions in the Consumer 
                              Price Index.

Whereas for over 60 years the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance 
        program under title II of the Social Security Act has been the most 
        successful universal social insurance program in the world;
Whereas 44 million Americans today receive benefits from such program;
Whereas two-thirds of beneficiaries under such program rely on such program as 
        their primary source of income, and one-fourth of them rely on it for 90 
        percent of their income;
Whereas half of senior citizens have yearly incomes of less than $15,000;
Whereas over half of the beneficiaries under such program would be forced to 
        live in poverty without their benefits from such program;
Whereas millions of beneficiaries under such program rely upon annual cost-of-
        living adjustments, which are derived from the Consumer Price Index 
        prescribed from time to time by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the 
        Department of Labor, in order to ensure that their purchasing power is 
        not eroded by inflation;
Whereas a 1994 calculation based on an experimental index for the elderly 
        designed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that the Consumer 
        Price Index may understate, not overstate, inflation for the elderly due 
        to their disproportionate expenditures for rising health costs; and
Whereas many Americans live on a fixed income which is protected from inflation 
        only by the Consumer Price Index: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the 105th Congress should not consider any proposal for 
        reducing benefits under the old-age, survivors, and disability 
        insurance program under title II of the Social Security Act; 
        and
            (2) the Congress should consider neither proposals for 
        arbitrary reductions in the Consumer Price Index nor proposals 
        for any transfer of the responsibility for establishing, 
        maintaining, or adjusting the Consumer Price Index to an 
        outside, politically appointed commission, but rather should 
        ensure that the accuracy and integrity of the Consumer Price 
        Index continue to be maintained by the professional economists 
        of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Department of Labor.
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