III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 275 

To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers to compute cost-of-living increases for Social Security benefits 

under title II of the Social Security Act. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 3, 2005 

Ms. CANTWELL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL

To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index 

for Elderly Consumers to compute cost-of-living increases 

for Social Security benefits under title II of the Social 

Security Act.

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 ‘‘Consumer Price Index 

5 for Elderly Consumers Act’’. 
2

•S 275 IS

1 SEC. 2. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR ELDERLY CON2 SUMERS. 

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

4 of the Department of Labor shall prepare and publish an 

5 index for each calendar month to be known as the ‘‘Con6 sumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers’’ that indicates 

7 changes over time in expenditures for consumption which 

8 are typical for individuals in the United States who are 

9 62 years of age or older. 

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

11 with respect to calendar months ending on or after July 

12 31 of the calendar year following the calendar year in 

13 which this Act is enacted. 

14 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

15 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec16 essary to carry out the provisions of this section. 

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

18 SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 215(i) of the Social Secu20 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)) is amended— 

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

22 period the following: ‘‘, and, solely with respect to 

23 any monthly insurance benefit payable under this 

24 title to an individual who has attained age 62, effec25 tive for adjustments under this subsection to the pri26 mary insurance amount on which such benefit is 
3

•S 275 IS

1 based (or to any such benefit under section 227 or 

2 228) occurring after such individual attains such 

3 age, the applicable Consumer Price Index shall be 

4 deemed to be the Consumer Price Index for Elderly 

5 Consumers and such primary insurance amount 

6 shall be deemed adjusted under this subsection using 

7 such Index’’; and 

8 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and by sec9 tion 9001’’ and inserting ‘‘, by section 9001’’, and 

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

11 section 3(a) of the Consumer Price Index for Elderly 

12 Consumers Act,’’. 

13 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS IN APPLICABLE

14 FORMER LAW.—Section 215(i)(1)(C) of the Social Secu15 rity Act, as in effect in December 1978 and applied in 

16 certain cases under the provisions of such Act in effect 

17 after December 1978, is amended by inserting before the 

18 period the following: ‘‘, and, solely with respect to any 

19 monthly insurance benefit payable under this title to an 

20 individual who has attained age 62, effective for adjust21 ments under this subsection to the primary insurance 

22 amount on which such benefit is based (or to any such 

23 benefit under section 227 or 228) occurring after such in24 dividual attains such age, the applicable Consumer Price 

25 Index shall be deemed to be the Consumer Price Index 
4

•S 275 IS

1 for Elderly Consumers and such primary insurance 

2 amount shall be deemed adjusted under this subsection 

3 using such Index’’. 

4 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

5 this section shall apply to determinations made by the 

6 Commissioner of Social Security under section 215(i)(2) 

7 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)(2)) with re8 spect to cost-of-living computation quarters ending on or 

9 after September 30 of the second calendar year following 

10 the calendar year in which this Act is enacted.

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