I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3961 
To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index for Elderly Con-
sumers to compute cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medi-
care benefits under titles II and XVIII of the Social Security Act. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 5, 2015 
Mr. DEFAZIO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Energy 
and Commerce and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index 
for Elderly Consumers to compute cost-of-living increases 
for Social Security and Medicare benefits under titles 
II and XVIII of the Social Security Act. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Consumer Price Index 
for Elderly Consumers Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR ELDERLY CON-
SUMERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Bureau of Labor Statistics 
of the Department of Labor shall prepare and publish an 
index for each calendar month to be known as the ‘‘Con-
sumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers’’ that indicates 
changes over time in expenditures for consumption which 
are typical for individuals in the United States who are 
62 years of age or older. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subsection (a) shall apply 
with respect to calendar months ending on or after July 
31 of the calendar year following the calendar year in 
which this Act is enacted. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out the provisions of this section. 
SEC. 3. COMPUTATION OF COST-OF-LIVING INCREASES. 
(a) AMENDMENTS TO TITLE II.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 215(i) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)) is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(G), by inserting be-
fore the period the following: ‘‘, and, solely with 
respect to any monthly insurance benefit pay-
able under this title to an individual who has 
attained age 62, effective for adjustments under 
this subsection to the primary insurance 
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amount on which such benefit is based (or to 
any such benefit under section 227 or 228) oc-
curring after such individual attains such age, 
the applicable Consumer Price Index shall be 
deemed to be the Consumer Price Index for El-
derly Consumers and such primary insurance 
amount shall be deemed adjusted under this 
subsection using such Index’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and by 
section 9001’’ and inserting ‘‘, by section 
9001’’, and by inserting after ‘‘1986,’’ the fol-
lowing: ‘‘and by section 3(a) of the Consumer 
Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act of 
2015,’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS IN APPLICABLE 
FORMER LAW.—Section 215(i)(1)(C) of such Act, as 
in effect in December 1978 and applied in certain 
cases under the provisions of such Act in effect after 
December 1978, is amended by inserting before the 
period the following: ‘‘, and, solely with respect to 
any monthly insurance benefit payable under this 
title to an individual who has attained age 62, effec-
tive for adjustments under this subsection to the pri-
mary insurance amount on which such benefit is 
based (or to any such benefit under section 227 or 
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