[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3578 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3578

To modify the annual reporting requirements of the Social Security Act, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 3, 2000

  Mr. Sununu introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To modify the annual reporting requirements of the Social Security Act, 
                        and for other purposes.

    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 ``Social Security Right To Know Act''.

SEC. 2. MATERIAL TO BE INCLUDED IN ANNUAL REPORT OF TRUSTEES.

    Section 201(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401(c)) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as 
        subparagraphs (A) through (E), respectively;
            (2) by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and inserting 
        ``subparagraph (B)'';
            (3) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(c)'';
            (4) by redesignating the undesignated text following 
        subparagraph (E) (as redesignated by paragraph (1) of this 
        section) as paragraph (2);
            (5) by moving the last sentence of paragraph (2) (as 
        redesignated by paragraph (4) of this section) so that it 
        follows the fifth sentence of paragraph (1) (as redesignated by 
        paragraph (3) of this section);
            (6)(A) by moving the text of the fifth sentence of 
        paragraph (2) (as redesignated by paragraph (4) of this 
        section) beginning with ``be printed as a House document'' and 
        ending with ``the report is made'' so that it follows ``shall'' 
        in the first sentence of paragraph (2) (as redesignated by 
        paragraph (4) of this section);
            (B) by striking the remainder of the fifth sentence of 
        paragraph (2) (as redesignated by paragraph (4) of this 
        section); and
            (C) by inserting ``and'' after the text so moved;
            (7) in the fourth sentence of paragraph (2) (as 
        redesignated by paragraph (4) of this section), by striking 
        ``Such report shall also include an'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(C) An'';
            (8) in the third sentence of paragraph (2) (as redesignated 
        by paragraph (4) of this section), by striking ``Such report 
        shall include an'' and inserting the following:
            ``(B) An'';
            (9) in the first sentence of paragraph (2) (as redesignated 
        by paragraph (4) of this section)--
                    (A) by striking ``(2) above'' after ``paragraph'' 
                and inserting ``(1)(B)''; and
                    (B) by striking ``shall include a statement'' and 
                inserting ``shall include the following:
            ``(A) A statement'';
            (10) by inserting after subparagraph (C) (as redesignated 
        by paragraph (7) of this section) the following:
            ``(D) A statement, in terms of inflation-adjusted dollars, 
        present discounted value, and nominal dollars, of--
                    ``(i) the aggregate amount of the unfunded long-
                term projected liability of the social security system 
                and any change in that amount from the preceding year; 
                and
                    ``(ii) the amount of deficit or surplus that the 
                social security system will run in the last year of 
                such long-term projection period, with any aggregate 
                assets or liabilities held by the Trust Funds in that 
                final projected year.
            ``(E) The economic model and relevant data used to make the 
        financial projections required to be reported under this 
        paragraph, including any changes in the model and data from the 
        preceding year.
            ``(F) A conspicuous summary of the items required by 
        clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (D), in terms of 
        inflation-adjusted dollars.
            ``(G) An explanation that states in substance that the 
        Trust Funds balances reflect resources authorized by Congress 
        to pay future social security benefits, but do not consist of 
        real economic assets that can be used in the future to fund 
        benefits, and that such balances are claims against the United 
States Treasury that, when redeemed, must be financed through increased 
taxes, public borrowing, benefit reduction, or elimination of other 
Federal expenditures.''.

SEC. 3. MATERIAL TO BE INCLUDED IN SOCIAL SECURITY ACCOUNT STATEMENT.

    Section 1143(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-13(a)) 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)(C) by striking ``and'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)(D) by striking the period and 
        inserting ``; and'';
            (3) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the following 
        new subparagraph:
            ``(E)(i) as determined by the Chief Actuary of the Social 
        Security Administration--
                    ``(I) a comparison of the annual social security 
                tax inflows (including amounts appropriated under 
                subsections (a) and (b) of section 201 of this Act and 
                section 121(e) of the Social Security Amendments of 
                1983 (26 U.S.C. 401 note)) to the amount paid in 
                benefits annually; and
                    ``(II) a statement whether the ratio described in 
                subclause (I) will result in a cash flow deficit and 
                what year any such deficit will commence, as well as 
                the first year in which funds in the Federal Old-Age 
                and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal 
                Disability Insurance Trust Fund will cease to be 
                sufficient to cover any such deficit and the percentage 
                of benefits due at that time that could be paid from 
                the annual social security tax inflows (as that term is 
                used in subclause (I));
            ``(ii) the explanation required by section 201(c)(2)(G); 
        and
            ``(iii) an explanation, in simple and easily understood 
        terms, of the average rate of return that a taxpayer can expect 
        to receive on old-age insurance benefits as compared to the 
        total amount of social security taxes a taxpayer expects to 
        pay, including the inflation-adjusted average rate of return 
        for workers born in every year beginning with 1900, set out in 
        chart or graph form, with an explanatory caption or legend, as 
        determined by the Chief Actuary of the Social Security 
        Administration.''.

SEC. 4. USE OF CONTINUOUS WORK HISTORY SAMPLE FOR STATISTICAL RESEARCH.

    (a) Data To Be Made Available.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, the Social Security Administration shall make available to the 
public the Continuous Work History Sample (referred to in this section 
as the ``CWHS'') data administered by such Administration subject to 
the restrictions provided for in subsections (b) and (c).
    (b) Limitations on Release of Data.--The Office of Research and 
Statistics of the Social Security Administration shall make statistical 
samples of individual records from the CWHS available to a user if the 
user--
            (1) agrees to make use of the data from the CWHS solely for 
        the purpose of conducting statistical research activities;
            (2) agrees in writing to such conditions as may be 
        reasonably determined by the Commissioner of the Social 
        Security Administration to be necessary to ensure that data 
        from the CWHS is not made available in individually 
        identifiable form; and
            (3) fully reimburses the Office of Research and Statistics 
        for the cost of supplying the data.
    (c) No Personally Identifiable Information.--To protect privacy, 
the Office of Research and Statistics of the Social Security 
Administration shall remove all identifiers which can link CWHS records 
to the identity of an individual respondent prior to the release of the 
data.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``Continuous Work History Sample'' means the 
        statistical sample of individual administrative records held by 
        the Social Security Administration; and
            (2) the term ``user'' means any individual or legal entity, 
        including an employee of the Federal Government, who receives 
        access to the Continuous Work History Sample.
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