I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4551 

To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index for Older Americans 

to compute cost-of-living increases for monthly insurance benefits under 

title II of the Social Security Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2016 

Mr. JOLLY introduced the following bill; 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 

A BILL 

To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index 

for Older Americans to compute cost-of-living increases 

for monthly insurance benefits under title II of the Social 

Security Act, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Keeping our Promise 

5 to Seniors Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR OLDER AMERICANS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Bureau of Labor Statistics 

3 of the Department of Labor shall prepare and publish an 

4 index for each calendar month to be known as the ‘‘Con5 sumer Price Index for Older Americans’’ that— 

6 (1) measures changes over time in the cost of 

7 living for a population that consists solely of individ8 uals living in the United States who are 62 years of 

9 age or older; 

10 (2) is specifically designed to reflect the geo11 graphic areas in which such individuals reside, the 

12 goods and services purchased by such individuals, 

13 and the prices typically by such individuals for those 

14 goods and services; and 

15 (3) is not based on any other consumer price 

16 index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

17 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (a) shall apply 

18 with respect to calendar months beginning after the date 

19 that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

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

21 OLD-AGE AND SURVIVOR’S BENEFITS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 215(i) of the Social Secu23 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)) is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (1)(G), by inserting before the 

25 period the following: ‘‘, and, with respect to any 

26 monthly insurance benefit payable under this title, 


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1 effective for adjustments under this subsection to 

2 the primary insurance amount on which such benefit 

3 is based (or to any such benefit under section 227 

4 or 228), the applicable Consumer Price Index shall 

5 be deemed to be the Consumer Price Index for Older 

6 Americans and such primary insurance amount shall 

7 be deemed adjusted under this subsection using such 

8 Index’’; and 

9 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and by sec10 tion 9001’’ and inserting ‘‘, by section 9001’’, and 

11 by inserting after ‘‘1986,’’ the following: ‘‘and by 

12 section 3(a) of the Keeping our Promise to Seniors 

13 Act,’’. 

14 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS IN APPLICABLE

15 FORMER LAW.—Section 215(i)(1)(C) of such Act, as in 

16 effect in December 1978 and applied in certain cases 

17 under the provisions of such Act in effect after December 

18 1978, is amended by inserting before the period the fol19 lowing: ‘‘, and, with respect to any monthly insurance ben20 efit payable under this title, effective for adjustments 

21 under this subsection to the primary insurance amount on 

22 which such benefit is based (or to any such benefit under 

23 section 227 or 228), the applicable Consumer Price Index 

24 shall be deemed to be the Consumer Price Index for Older 


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1 Americans and such primary insurance amount shall be 

2 deemed adjusted under this subsection using such Index’’. 

3 (c) NO EFFECT ON ADJUSTMENTS UNDER OTHER

4 LAWS.—Section 215(i) of the Social Security Act (42 

5 U.S.C. 415(i)) is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(6) Any provision of law (other than in this title) 

8 which provides for adjustment of an amount based on a 

9 change in benefit amounts resulting from a determination 

10 made under this subsection shall be applied and adminis11 tered without regard to the amendments made by section 

12 3 of the Keeping our Promise to Seniors Act.’’. 

13 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

14 paragraph (1) shall apply to determinations made with re15 spect to cost-of-living computation quarters beginning 

16 after the date that is 1 year after the date of the enact17 ment of this Act. 

Æ 


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