I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4529 

To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide for an annual 

increase in the contribution and benefit base, to exclude a certain number 

of childcare years from the benefit computation formula, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 10, 2016 

Mr. MURPHY of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide 

for an annual increase in the contribution and benefit 

base, to exclude a certain number of childcare years 

from the benefit computation formula, 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 ‘‘Social Security Parent 

5 Penalty Repeal Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ANNUAL INCREASE IN CONTRIBUTION AND BEN2 EFIT BASE. 

3 (a) ANNUAL INCREASE.—Section 230(a) of the So4 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 430(a)) is amended to read 

5 as follows: 

6 ‘‘(a) The Commissioner shall determine and publish 

7 in the Federal Register on or before November 1 of each 

8 calendar year the contribution and benefit base deter9 mined under subsection (b) which shall be effective with 

10 respect to remuneration paid after such calendar year and 

11 taxable years beginning after such calendar year.’’. 

12 (b) RATE OF ANNUAL INCREASE.—Section 230(b) of 

13 such Act (42 U.S.C. 430(b)) is amended to read as fol14 lows: 

15 ‘‘(b)(1) The amount of such contribution and benefit 

16 base determined under this subsection shall be the product 

17 of the contribution and benefit base in effect in the year 

18 in which the determination is made multiplied by the larg19 er of— 

20 ‘‘(A) 1, plus the percentage that is equal to 

21 twice the annual national average wage increase; or 

22 ‘‘(B) 1.03, 

23 with such product, if not a multiple of $300, being round24 ed to the next higher multiple of $300 where such product 

25 is a multiple of $150 but not of $300 and to the nearest 

26 multiple of $300 in any other case. 


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1 ‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘an2 nual national average wage increase’ means the quotient 

3 (expressed as a percentage) of— 

4 ‘‘(A) the amount by which the national average 

5 wage index (as defined in section 209(k)(1)) for the 

6 calendar year before the calendar year in which the 

7 determination under subsection (a) is made exceeds 

8 the national average wage index (as so defined) for 

9 the calendar year that is 2 years before the calendar 

10 year in which such determination is made, divided 

11 by 

12 ‘‘(B) the national average wage index (as so de13 fined) for the calendar year that is 2 years before 

14 the calendar year in which such determination is 

15 made.’’. 

16 (c) CONFORMING AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

17 Section 230 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 430), as amended by 

18 subsections (a) and (b), is further amended— 

19 (1) by striking subsection (c); 

20 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub21 section (c); and 

22 (3) in subsection (c) (as redesignated by para23 graph (2)), by striking ‘‘Public Law 93–406’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘the Employee Retirement Income Security 

25 Act of 1974’’. 


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

2 this section shall apply with respect to renumeration paid, 

3 and taxable years beginning, after calendar year 2016. 

4 SEC. 3. EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN CHILDCARE YEARS FROM 

5 BENEFIT COMPUTATION FORMULA. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 215(b)(2) of the Social 

7 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 415(b)(2)) is amended— 

8 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘The num9 ber’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to subparagraph (C), 

10 the number’’; and 

11 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(C)(i) The number of an individual’s benefit com13 putation years determined under subparagraph (A) shall 

14 be further reduced (after application of the reduction 

15 under such subparagraph) by the number of childcare 

16 years of the individual (not exceeding 5), except that not 

17 more than 2 years may be determined to be a childcare 

18 year on the basis of the individual’s status as a primary 

19 caregiver for the same child. 

20 ‘‘(ii) For purposes of this subparagraph, the term 

21 ‘childcare year’ means, with respect to an individual, an 

22 elapsed year of the individual— 

23 ‘‘(I) during which the individual is the primary 

24 caregiver for a child under 6 years of age; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) for which the total of the individual’s 

2 wages and self-employment income is $0.’’. 

3 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

4 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to the computation 

5 or recomputation of a primary insurance amount after cal6 endar year 2016. 

Æ 


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