[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1422 Introduced in House (IH)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 1422

  To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index for Elderly 
 Consumers to compute cost-of-living increases for Social Security and 
Medicare benefits under titles II and XVIII of the Social Security Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 14, 1999

Mr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Ney, Mr. Borski, Mr. Filner, Mr. Wexler, 
  Mr. Olver, Mr. Weiner, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Shows, Mr. Hilliard, Mr. 
Hinchey, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Brown of California, Mrs. Christensen, 
   Mr. Crowley, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Romero-Barcelo, Ms. 
Pelosi, Mr. Stark, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Hastings 
  of Florida, Mr. Owens, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Farr of California, Ms. 
Norton, Ms. Lee, Mr. LaTourette, Mr. Coyne, and Mr. Bonior) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and 
Means, and in addition to the Committees on Commerce, and 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index for Elderly 
 Consumers to compute cost-of-living increases for Social Security and 
Medicare benefits under titles II and XVIII of the Social Security Act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Consumer Price Index for Elderly 
Consumers Act''.

SEC. 2. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR ELDERLY CONSUMERS.

    (a) In General.--The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department 
of Labor shall prepare and publish an index for each calendar month to 
be known as the ``Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers'' that 
indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are 
typical for individuals in the United States who are 62 years of age or 
older.
    (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (a) shall apply with respect to 
calendar months ending on or after July 31 of the calendar year 
following the calendar year in which this Act is enacted.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out the provisions of 
this section.

SEC. 3. COMPUTATION OF COST-OF-LIVING INCREASES.

    (a) Amendments to Title II.--
            (1) In general.--Section 215(i) of the Social Security Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 415(i)) is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(G), by inserting before the 
                period the following: ``, and, solely with respect to 
                any monthly insurance benefit payable under this title 
                to an individual who has attained age 62, effective for 
                adjustments under this subsection to the primary 
                insurance amount on which such benefit is based (or to 
                any such benefit under section 227 or 228) occurring 
                after such individual attains such age, the applicable 
                Consumer Price Index shall be deemed to be the Consumer 
                Price Index for Elderly Consumers and such primary 
                insurance amount shall be deemed adjusted under this 
                subsection using such Index''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and by section 
                9001'' and inserting ``, by section 9001'', and by 
                inserting after ``1986,'' the following: ``and by 
                section 3(a) of the Consumer Price Index for Elderly 
                Consumers Act of 1999,''.
            (2) Conforming amendments in applicable former law.--
        Section 215(i)(1)(C) of such Act, as in effect in December 1978 
        and applied in certain cases under the provisions of such Act 
        in effect after December 1978, is amended by inserting before 
        the period the following: ``, and, solely with respect to any 
        monthly insurance benefit payable under this title to an 
        individual who has attained age 62, effective for adjustments 
        under this subsection to the primary insurance amount on which 
        such benefit is based (or to any such benefit under section 227 
        or 228) occurring after such individual attains such age, the 
        applicable Consumer Price Index shall be deemed to be the 
        Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers and such primary 
        insurance amount shall be deemed adjusted under this subsection 
        using such Index''.
            (3) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraph (1) 
        shall apply to determinations made by the Commissioner of 
        Social Security under section 215(i)(2) of the Social Security 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)(2)) with respect to cost-of-living 
        computation quarters ending on or after September 30 of the 
        second calendar year following the calendar year in which this 
        Act is enacted.
    (b) Amendments to Title XVIII.--
            (1) In general.--Title XVIII of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et 
        seq.) is amended--
                    (A) in section 1814(i)(2)(B), by inserting ``(i) 
                for accounting years ending before October 1 of the 
                second calendar year following the calendar year in 
                which the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers 
                Act was enacted,'' after ``for a year is'', and by 
                inserting after ``fifth month of the accounting year'' 
                the following: ``, and (ii) for accounting years ending 
                after October 1 of such calendar year, the cap amount 
determined under clause (i) for the last accounting year referred to in 
such clause, increased or decreased by the same percentage as the 
percentage increase or decrease, respectively, in the medical care 
expenditure category (or corresponding category) of the Consumer Price 
Index for Elderly Consumers, published by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, from March of such calendar year to the fifth month of the 
accounting year'';
                    (B) in section 1821(c)(2)(C)(ii)(II), by striking 
                ``consumer price index for all urban consumers (all 
                items; United States city average)'' and insert 
                ``Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers'';
                    (C) in section 1833(h)(2)(A)(i), by striking 
                ``Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (United 
                States city average)'' and insert ``Consumer Price 
                Index for Elderly Consumers'';
                    (D) in section 1833(i)(2)(C), by striking 
                ``consumer price index for all urban consumers (U.S. 
                city average)'' and insert ``Consumer Price Index for 
                Elderly Consumers'';
                    (E) in section 1834(a)(14)(D), by striking 
                ``consumer price index for all urban consumers (United 
                States city average)'' and insert ``Consumer Price 
                Index for Elderly Consumers'';
                    (F) in section 1834(h)(4)(A)(vi), by striking 
                ``consumer price index for all urban consumers (United 
                States city average)'' and insert ``Consumer Price 
                Index for Elderly Consumers'';
                    (G) in section 1834(l)(3)(A), by striking 
                ``consumer price index for all urban consumers (U.S. 
                city average)'' and insert ``Consumer Price Index for 
                Elderly Consumers'';
                    (H) in section 1834(l)(3)(B), by striking 
                ``consumer price index for all urban consumers (U.S. 
                city average)'' and insert ``Consumer Price Index for 
                Elderly Consumers'';
                    (I) in section 1842(s)(1), by striking ``consumer 
                price index for all urban consumers (United States city 
                average)'' and insert ``Consumer Price Index for 
                Elderly Consumers'';
                    (J) in section 1882(p)(11)(C)(ii), by striking 
                ``Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (all 
                items; U.S. city average)'' and insert ``Consumer Price 
                Index for Elderly Consumers''; and
                    (K) in section 1886(h)(5)(B), by striking 
                ``Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (United 
                States city average)'' and insert ``Consumer Price 
                Index for Elderly Consumers''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraph (1) 
        shall apply with respect to determinations made for periods 
        ending after December 31 of the second calendar year following 
        the calendar year in which this Act was enacted.
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