II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1876 

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 

NOVEMBER 16, 2011 

Mr. BROWN of Ohio (for himself, Ms. MIKULSKI, and Mr. MERKLEY) 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’’. 


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•S 1876 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 have 

9 attained early retirement age (as defined under section 

10 216(l)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 416(l)(2)) 

11 for purposes of an old-age, wife’s, or husband’s insurance 

12 benefit). 

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

14 with respect to calendar months ending on or after July 

15 31 of the calendar year following the calendar year in 

16 which this Act is enacted. 

17 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec19 essary to carry out the provisions of this section. 

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

21 SOCIAL SECURITY 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, solely with respect to 

26 any monthly insurance benefit payable under this 


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1 title to an individual who has attained early retire2 ment age, effective for adjustments under this sub3 section to the primary insurance amount on which 

4 such benefit is based (or to any such benefit under 

5 section 227 or 228) occurring after such individual 

6 attains such age, the applicable Consumer Price 

7 Index shall be deemed to be the Consumer Price 

8 Index for Elderly Consumers and such primary in9 surance amount shall be deemed adjusted under this 

10 subsection using such Index’’; and 

11 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and by sec12 tion 9001’’ and inserting ‘‘, by section 9001’’, and 

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

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

15 Consumers Act,’’. 

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS IN APPLICABLE

17 FORMER LAW.—Section 215(i)(1)(C) of the Social Secu18 rity Act, as in effect in December 1978 and applied in 

19 certain cases under the provisions of such Act in effect 

20 after December 1978, is amended by inserting before the 

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

22 monthly insurance benefit payable under this title to an 

23 individual who has attained early retirement age, effective 

24 for adjustments under this subsection to the primary in25 surance amount on which such benefit is based (or to any 


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1 such benefit under section 227 or 228) occurring after 

2 such individual attains such age, the applicable Consumer 

3 Price Index shall be deemed to be the Consumer Price 

4 Index for Elderly Consumers and such primary insurance 

5 amount shall be deemed adjusted under this subsection 

6 using such Index’’. 

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

8 this section shall apply to determinations made by the 

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

10 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)(2)) with re11 spect to cost-of-living computation quarters ending on or 

12 after September 30 of the second calendar year following 

13 the calendar year in which this Act is enacted. 

Æ 


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