An Act to amend the Railroad Retirement Act of 1937 to provide a 10 percent increase in annuities
PL 92-46 (H.R.6444), enacted 07/02/1971

85 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 92-46-JULY 2, 1971 
101 
Public Law 92-46 
AN ACT 
To amend the Railroad Retirement Act of 1937 to provide a 10 i^er centum 
increase in annuities. 
July 2, 1971 
[H. R. 6444" 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Re'presentatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assennhled^ That section 3 (a) of 
the Eailroad Ketirement Act of 1937 is amended by inserting at the end 
thereof the following new paragraph : 
"(4) The annuity computed under the preceding provisions of this 
subsection and that part of subsection (e) of this section which pre-
cedes the first proviso shall be increased by 10 per centum." 
SEC. 2, (a) Section 2(e) of the Eailroad Eetirement Act of 1937 is 
amended— 
(1) by striking out "section 3(a)(3) of this Act*' and insert-
ing in lieu thereof "section 3(a) (3) or (4) of this Act"; 
(2) by inserting "(before any reduction on account of age)"' 
immediately after "shall" in the first sentence of the last 
paragraph; 
(3) by striking out the last sentence; and 
(4) by adding at the end thereof the following new paragraph: 
"The spouse's annuity computed under the other provisions of this 
section shall (before any reduction on account of age) be increased 
by 10 per centum. The preceding sentence and the next preceding 
paragraph shall not operate to increase the annuity to an amount in 
excess of the maximum amount of a spouse's annuity as provided 
in the first sentence of this subsection. This paragraph shall be disre-
garded in the application of the preceding paragraph." 
(b) (1) Section 2(i) of such Act is amended by striking out "the 
last paragraph" and inserting in lieu thereof "the last two paragraphs". 
(2) Section 2(i) of such Act is further amended by inserting "or 
in that part of section 3(e) preceding the first proviso, or of the pen-
sion," immediately after "section 3(a) (1)". 
(c) Section 2(j) of such Act is amended by inserting ". or section 
5(a) of this Act," after "this section". 
SEC. 3. Section 5 of the Eailroad Eetirement Act of 1937 is amended 
by inserting at the end thereof the following subsection: 
"(o) The annuity computed under the preceding provisions of 
this section shall be increased by 10 per centum." 
SEC. 4. For the purposes of approximating the offsets in railroad 
retirement benefits for increases in social security benefits by reason 
of amendments j)rior to the Social Security Amendments of 1971, 
the Eailroad Eetirement Board is authorized to prescribe adjust-
ments in the percentages in the Eailroad Eetirement Act of 1937, and 
laws pertaining thereto, in order that these percentages, when applied 
against current social security benefits not in excess of $275.80 ' a 
month, will produce approximately the same amounts as those com-
puted under the law in effect, except for changes in the wage base, 
before the Social Security Amendments of 1971 were enacted. 
SEC. 5. All pensions under section 6 of the Eailroad Eetirement Act 
of 1937, and all annuities under the Eailroad Eetirement Act of 1935, 
shall be increased by 10 per centum. All survivor annuities deriving 
from joint and survivor annuities under the Eailroad Eetirement Act 
of 1937 and all widows' and widoAvers' insurance annuities which are 
payable in the amount of the spouse's annuity to which the widow or 
widower was entitled shall, in cases where the employee died in or be-
fore the month in which the increases in annuities provided in sec-
tion 2 of this Act are effective, be increased by 10 per centum. Joint 
Railroad Retire-
ment Act of 1937, 
amendments. 
Annuities, in-
crease. 
82 Stat. 17; 
84 Stat. 791. 
45 u s e 228c, 
Spouse's annu-
ity. 
84 Stat. 791. 
45 u s e 228b., 
80 Stat. 1080. 
60 Stat. 729; 
84 Stat. 791. 
45 u s e 228e. 
Percentage 
adjustment. 
50 Stat. 312 . 
49 Stat. 967. 
45 u s e 228f; 
215-228 notes. 
102 
PUBLIC LAW 92-47-JULY 9, 1971 
[85 STAT. 
Ante, 
p . 101. 
Recertification. 
84 Stat. 792. 
45 u s e 228j 
note. 
Report to Con-
gress, extension. 
Effective date. 
Termination 
date. 
Termination 
date, extension. 
45 u s e 228c 
note. 
and siii'V'ivor annuities shall be computed under section -^(a) of the 
Railroad Retirement Act of 1937 and shall be reduced by the percent-
age determined in accordance with the election of such annuity. 
SEC. B. All recertitications required by reason of the amendments 
made by this Act shall be made by the Railroad Retirement Board 
without application therefor. 
SEC. 7. (a) Section 7(c)(1) of Public Law 91-877 is amended by 
striking out "Julv 1. 1971" and inserting in lieu thereof "June 80, 
1972". 
' 
(b) Section 7 (g) of Public Law 91-877 is amended— 
(1) by striking out ". not later than July 1, 1971" and all that 
follows down through "this section" in the first sentence and 
inserting in lieu thereof "submit to the President and the Con-
gress an interim report of the study authorized by this section 
not later than July 1, 1971, and a full and complete final report 
of such study not later than June 80, 1972,"; and 
(2) by striking out "such report" in the second sentence and 
inserting in lieu thereof "such final report". 
SEC. 8. (a) The provisions of this Act shall be effective with respect 
to annuities accruing for months after December 1970 and with 
respect to pensions due in calendar months after January 1971; except 
that increases in benefits for months prior to the month of enactment 
of this Act shall be payable only to an individual who is entitled to 
an annuity or pension for the month of enactment, or who becomes so 
entitled in later months, on the basis of the same earnings record. 
(b) The first six sections of this Act, and the amendments made by 
such sections (other than the amendments made by subsections (a) (2), 
(b) (2), and (c) of section 2), shall cease to apply as of the close of 
June 80, 1978. Annuities accruing for months after June 80,1978, and 
pensions due in calendar months after June 80, 1973, shall be com-
puted as if the fii-st six sections of this Act, and the amendments made 
by such sections (other than the amendments made by subsections 
(a) (2), (b) (2), and (c) of section 2), had not been enacted, 
(c) Section 6 of Public Law^ 91-377 is amended by striking out 
"June 80, 1972" each time that date appears and inserting in lieu 
thereof "June 80, 1978''. 
Approved July 2, 1971. 
July 9 , 1971 
[H. R. 4848] 
Public Law 92-47 
AN ACT 
To amend the Act of November 26, 1969, to provide for an exten*<ion of the date 
on which the Commission on Government Procurement shall submit its final 
report. 
Commission on 
Government Pro-
curement. 
Report to eon-
gress, extension. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and Hoiise of Representatives 
of the 
Ulilted States of America in Congress assembled, That subsection (b) 
of section 4 of the Act of November 26, 1969 (83 Stat. 271; 41 U.S.C 
251, note), is amended to read as follows: 
"(b) The Commission shall make, on or before December 31, 1972, 
a final report to the Congress of its findings and its recommendations 
for changes in statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures designed 
to carry out the policy stated in section 1 of this Act. In the event the 
Congress is not in session at the time of submission, the final report 
shall be submitted to the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the 
Senate. The Commission may also make such interim reports as it 
deems advisable." 
Approved July 9 , 1971.