I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 930
To modify the annual reporting requirements of the Social Security Act,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 7, 2001
Mr. SUNUNU (for himself, Mr. WELLER, Mr. DEMINT, Mr. BARTLETT of
Maryland, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. SHADEGG,
Mr. OSE, Mr. BASS, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr. SCHAFFER, Mr.
CANNON, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mr. GREEN of Wisconsin, Mr. COX, Mr.
SOUDER, Mr. KOLBE, Mr. OTTER, Mr. KIRK, and Ms. HART) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and
Means
A BILL
To modify the annual reporting requirements of the Social
Security Act, and for other purposes.
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 ‘‘Social Security Right
To Know Act’’.
SEC. 2. MATERIAL TO BE INCLUDED IN ANNUAL REPORT
OF TRUSTEES.
Section 201(c) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
401(c)) is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through
(5) as subparagraphs (A) through (E), respectively;
(2) by striking ‘‘under paragraph (2)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘under subparagraph (B)’’;
(3) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(c)’’;
(4) by redesignating the undesignated text fol-
lowing subparagraph (E) (as redesignated by para-
graph (1) of this section) as paragraph (2);
(5) by moving the last sentence of paragraph
(2) (as redesignated by paragraph (4) of this sec-
tion) so that it follows the fifth sentence of para-
graph (1) (as redesignated by paragraph (3) of this
section);
(6)(A) by moving the text of the fifth sentence
of paragraph (2) (as redesignated by paragraph (4)
of this section) beginning with ‘‘shall be printed’’
and ending with ‘‘report is made’’ so that it follows
‘‘above’’ in the first sentence of paragraph (2) (as
redesignated by paragraph (4) of this section);
(B) by striking the remainder of the fifth sen-
tence of paragraph (2) (as redesignated by para-
graph (4) of this section); and
(C) by inserting ‘‘and’’ after the text so moved;
(7) in the fourth sentence of paragraph (2) (as
redesignated by paragraph (4) of this section), by
striking ‘‘Such report shall also include an’’ and in-
serting the following:
‘‘(C) An’’;
(8) in the third sentence of paragraph (2) (as
redesignated by paragraph (4) of this section), by
striking ‘‘Such report shall include an’’ and inserting
the following:
‘‘(B) An’’;
(9) in the first sentence of paragraph (2) (as
redesignated by paragraph (4) of this section)—
(A) by striking ‘‘(2) above’’ after ‘‘para-
graph’’ and inserting ‘‘(1)(B)’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘shall include a statement’’
and inserting ‘‘shall include the following:
‘‘(A) A statement’’;
(10) by inserting after subparagraph (C) (as re-
designated by paragraph (7) of this section) the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(D) A statement, in terms of inflation-ad-
justed dollars, present discounted value, and nominal
dollars, of—
‘‘(i) the aggregate amount of the unfunded
long-term projected liability of the social secu-
rity system and any change in that amount
from the preceding year; and
‘‘(ii) the amount of deficit or surplus that
the social security system will run in the last
year of such long-term projection period, with
any aggregate assets or liabilities held by the
Trust Funds in that final projected year.
‘‘(E) The economic model and relevant data
used to make the financial projections required to be
reported under this paragraph, including any
changes in the model and data from the preceding
year.
‘‘(F) A conspicuous summary of the items re-
quired by clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (D),
in terms of inflation-adjusted dollars.
‘‘(G) An explanation that states in substance
that the Trust Funds balances reflect resources au-
thorized by Congress to pay future social security
benefits, but do not consist of real economic assets
that can be used in the future to fund benefits, and
that such balances are claims against the United
States Treasury that, when redeemed, must be fi-
nanced through increased taxes, public borrowing,
benefit reduction, or elimination of other Federal ex-
penditures.’’.
SEC. 3. MATERIAL TO BE INCLUDED IN SOCIAL SECURITY
ACCOUNT STATEMENT.
Section 1143(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1320b–13(a)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2)(C) by striking ‘‘and’’;
(2) in paragraph (2)(D) by striking the period
and inserting ‘‘; and’’;
(3) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the
following new subparagraph:
‘‘(E)(i) as determined by the Chief Actuary of
the Social Security Administration—
‘‘(I) a comparison of the annual social se-
curity tax inflows (including amounts appro-
priated under subsections (a) and (b) of section
201 of this Act and section 121(e) of the Social
Security Amendments of 1983 (26 U.S.C. 401
note)) to the amount paid in benefits annually;
and
‘‘(II) a statement whether the ratio de-
scribed in subclause (I) will result in a cash
flow deficit and what year any such deficit will
commence, as well as the first year in which
funds in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors In-
surance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability
Insurance Trust Fund will cease to be sufficient
to cover any such deficit and the percentage of
benefits due at that time that could be paid
from the annual social security tax inflows (as
that term is used in subclause (I));
‘‘(ii) the explanation required by section
201(c)(2)(G); and
‘‘(iii) an explanation, in simple and easily un-
derstood terms, of the average rate of return that a
taxpayer can expect to receive on old-age insurance
benefits as compared to the total amount of social
security taxes a taxpayer expects to pay, including
the inflation-adjusted average rate of return for
workers born in every year beginning with 1900, set
out in chart or graph form, with an explanatory cap-
tion or legend, as determined by the Chief Actuary
of the Social Security Administration.’’.
SEC. 4. USE OF CONTINUOUS WORK HISTORY SAMPLE FOR
STATISTICAL RESEARCH.
(a) DATA TO BE MADE AVAILABLE.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, the Social Security
Administration shall make available to the public the Con-
tinuous Work History Sample (referred to in this section
as the ‘‘CWHS’’) data administered by such Administra-
tion subject to the restrictions provided for in subsections
(b) and (c).
(b) LIMITATIONS ON RELEASE OF DATA.—The Of-
fice of Research and Statistics of the Social Security Ad-
ministration shall make statistical samples of individual
records from the CWHS available to a user if the user—
(1) agrees to make use of the data from the
CWHS solely for the purpose of conducting statis-
tical research activities;
(2) agrees in writing to such conditions as may
be reasonably determined by the Commissioner of
the Social Security Administration to be necessary
to ensure that data from the CWHS is not made
available in individually identifiable form; and
(3) fully reimburses the Office of Research and
Statistics for the cost of supplying the data.
(c) NO
PERSONALLY
IDENTIFIABLE
INFORMA-
TION.—To protect privacy, the Office of Research and
Statistics of the Social Security Administration shall re-
move all identifiers which can link CWHS records to the
identity of an individual respondent prior to the release
of the data.
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section—
(1) the term ‘‘Continuous Work History Sam-
ple’’ means the statistical sample of individual ad-
ministrative records held by the Social Security Ad-
ministration; and
(2) the term ‘‘user’’ means any individual or
legal entity, including an employee of the Federal
Government, who receives access to the Continuous
Work History Sample.
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