IB 

Union Calendar No. 400 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5483 

[Report No. 109–669] 

To increase the disability earning limitation under the Railroad Retirement 

Act and to index the amount of allowable earnings consistent with increases in the substantial gainful activity dollar amount under the Social 

Security Act. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 25, 2006 

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska (for himself, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. LATOURETTE, and 

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2006 

Additional sponsors: Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. PASTOR, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. SABO, Mr. RAMSTAD, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, and Mr. 

TERRY

SEPTEMBER 19, 2006 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 

and ordered to be printed 

A BILL 

To increase the disability earning limitation under the Railroad Retirement Act and to index the amount of allowable earnings consistent with increases in the substantial 

gainful activity dollar amount under the Social Security 

Act. 


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•HR 5483 RH

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 ‘‘Railroad Retirement 

5 Disability Earnings Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REFORM OF DISABILITY EARNINGS LIMITATION 

7 PROVISIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2(e)(4) of the Railroad 

9 Retirement Act of 1974 is amended— 

10 (1) by striking ‘‘$400 in earnings’’ in the first 

11 sentence and inserting ‘‘the monthly allowable earn12 ings as defined in the section’’; 

13 (2) by striking ‘‘$4,800’’ in the fourth sentence 

14 and inserting ‘‘the amount of earnings computed by 

15 totaling the monthly allowable earnings as deter16 mined under this section for each month in the 

17 year’’; and 

18 (3) by striking the fifth sentence and inserting 

19 ‘‘If the total amount of such individual’s earnings 

20 during such year (exclusive of earnings for services 

21 as described in subdivision (3) and after deduction 

22 of disability related work expenses) is in excess of 

23 the annual allowable earnings amount, the number 

24 of months in such year with respect to which an an25 nuity is not payable by reason of the first and third 


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1 sentences shall not exceed the number of months de2 rived by dividing the amount by which such annual 

3 earnings exceed the annual allowable earnings 

4 amount by the monthly allowable earning amount 

5 determined under this section. If the computation 

6 under the preceding sentence results in a remainder 

7 greater than or equal to one-half, the number of 

8 months for which an annuity is not payable as deter9 mined under the preceding sentence shall be in10 creased by one. The annual allowable earnings 

11 amount shall be computed by totaling the amount of 

12 monthly allowable earnings as determined under the 

13 first sentence of this subdivision for each month in 

14 the calender year. If the amount of the individual’s 

15 annuity has changed during the calendar year, any 

16 payment of annuities which become payable solely by 

17 reason of the limitations in the preceding three sen18 tences shall be made first with respect to the month 

19 or months for which the annuity is larger. For pur20 poses of this subdivision, ‘the monthly allowable 

21 earnings’ shall be $700, except that for each year 

22 after 2007, ‘the monthly allowable earnings’ amount 

23 shall be the larger of the amount for the previous 

24 year or the amount calculated by multiplying $700 

25 by the ratio of the national average wage index for 


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1 the year 2 calender years before the year for which 

2 the amount is being calculated to the national aver3 age wage index for the year 2005. The amount so 

4 computed will be rounded to the next higher multiple 

5 of $10 where such amount is a multiple of $5 but 

6 not of $10 and to the nearest multiple of $10 in any 

7 other case.’’. 

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

9 this section take effect January 1, 2007. 


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Union Calendar No. 400 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5483 

[Report No. 109

–669] 

A BILL 

To increase the disability earning limitation under 

amount under the Social Security Act. creases in the substantial gainful activity dollar amount of allowable earnings consistent with inthe Railroad Retirement Act and to index the 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2006 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS