I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 390
To require the establishment of regional consumer price indices to compute
cost-of-living increases under the programs for Social Security and Medi-
care and other medical benefits under titles II and XVIII of the Social
Security Act.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 31, 2001
Mr. WEINER 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 regional consumer price indi-
ces to compute cost-of-living increases under the pro-
grams for Social Security and Medicare and other med-
ical 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 ‘‘COLA Fairness Act
of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. REGIONAL CONSUMER PRICE INDEX.
(a) RECOGNITION
OF REGIONS.—The Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor shall estab-
lish and publish a mapping of the United States under
which 14 regions are recognized comprising the United
States. Each region shall include one of the cities listed
in subsection (b).
(b) SPECIFIED CITIES.—The cities specified in this
subsection are the following:
(1) Atlanta, Georgia;
(2) Boston, Massachusetts;
(3) Chicago, Illinois;
(4) Cleveland, Ohio;
(5) Dallas, Texas;
(6) Detroit, Michigan;
(7) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
(8) Houston, Texas;
(9) Los Angeles, California;
(10) Miami, Florida;
(11) New York, New York;
(12) San Francisco, California;
(13) Seattle, Washington; and
(14) Washington, District of Columbia.
(c) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
REGIONAL
CONSUMER
PRICE INDICES.—The Bureau shall establish and publish
for each region recognized pursuant to subsection (a) a
monthly index for the region, to be known as the ‘‘Re-
gional Consumer Price Index’’ for the region, that indi-
cates changes over time in expenditures for consumption
which are typical for individuals residing in the region.
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The preceding provisions of
this section shall apply with respect to calendar months
beginning on or after January 1, 2003.
(e) 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 SOCIAL SECURITY COST-OF-LIV-
ING 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, with re-
spect to an individual who, at the time he ini-
tially becomes eligible for old-age insurance
benefits or disability insurance benefits (or dies
before initially becoming so eligible), resides in
a region of the United States recognized by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics pursuant to section
2(a) of the COLA Fairness Act of 2001, the
applicable Consumer Price Index shall be