I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3500 

To require the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor, to report 

the Consumer Price Index (CPI–W) using methodology employed in 1980. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 

Mr. JONES introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To require the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of 

Labor, to report the Consumer Price Index (CPI–W) 

using methodology employed in 1980. 

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 ‘‘Honesty in Consumer 

5 Price Index Reporting Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Beginning in 1975, Congress required So9 cial Security retirement benefits to automatically in10 crease annually in order to provide a cost-of-living 


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1 adjustment (COLA), based on increases in the Con2 sumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and 

3 Clerical Workers, or CPI–W, a data set issued by 

4 the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

5 (2) The Social Security Administration website 

6 correctly explains that the purpose of the COLA is 

7 ‘‘to ensure that the purchasing power of Social Secu8 rity and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) bene9 fits is not eroded by inflation’’. 

10 (3) The CPI–W data set published by the Bu11 reau of Labor Statistics has come under criticism, as 

12 the BLS has made repeated changes in the method13 ology for calculation, particularly since 1980, so that 

14 it no longer measures maintaining a constant stand15 ard of living by reflecting changes in price of a fixed 

16 market basket of goods and services, but rather re17 flects the consumer substitution of less-expensive 

18 products and services as prices rise. 

19 SEC. 3. REQUIRED REPORTING OF CERTAIN CONSUMER 

20 PRICE INDEX DATA USING 1980 METHOD21 OLOGY. 

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

23 shall regularly and routinely report an additional data set 

24 designed to replicate the Consumer Price Index for Urban 

25 Wage Earners and Clerical Workers or CPI–W set reflectVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:40 Sep 15, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3500.IH H3500

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1 ing a fixed market basket of goods and services, omitting 

2 consideration of substitution of goods and services due to 

3 changes in individual consumption patterns caused by 

4 price increases, utilizing the methodology that was em5 ployed by such Bureau in 1980. 

6 (b) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in subsection (a) shall 

7 prevent the Bureau of Labor Statistics from making 

8 changes in the market basket employed in the new data 

9 set required to be created under subsection (a) that are 

10 necessitated by technological changes which are fully dis11 closed to the public prior to making such changes. 

12 (c) TERMINATION.—The requirement in subsection 

13 (a) shall terminate if the Bureau of Labor Statistics ends 

14 its reporting of CPI–W. 

Æ 


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