COVID–19 Emergency Social Security Cost of Living Increase Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8600 To provide an emergency cost-of-living increase for social security beneficiaries, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 16, 2020 Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. VAN DREW) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider- ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To provide an emergency cost-of-living increase for social security beneficiaries, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘COVID–19 Emergency 4 Social Security Cost of Living Increase Act of 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. EMERGENCY COST-OF-LIVING INCREASE. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Effective with the month of No- 7 vember 2020, the Commissioner of Social Security shall 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:48 Nov 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8600.IH H8600 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8600 IH increase each of the amounts described in subclauses (I) 1 through (III) of section 215(i)(2)(A)(ii) of the Social Se- 2 curity Act by not less than 3 percent. 3 (b) TREATMENT OF INCREASE.—For purposes of ap- 4 plying subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 215(i)(1) of 5 the Social Security Act in calendar year 2020, the increase 6 under subsection (a) shall be treated as a general benefit 7 increase under title II of the Social Security Act. 8 SEC. 3. COMPUTATION OF COST-OF-LIVING INCREASES 9 BASED ON CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR EL- 10 DERLY CONSUMERS. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 215(i)(1) of the Social Se- 12 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)(1)) is amended by adding 13 at the end the following new subparagraph: 14 ‘‘(H) the term ‘Consumer Price Index’ means 15 the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers 16 (CPI–E, as published by the Bureau of Labor Sta- 17 tistics of the Department of Labor).’’. 18 (b) APPLICATION TO PRE-1979 LAW.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 215(i)(1) of the So- 20 cial Security Act as in effect in December 1978, and 21 as applied in certain cases under the provisions of 22 such Act as in effect after December 1978, is 23 amended by adding at the end the following new 24 subparagraph: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:48 Nov 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8600.IH H8600 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 8600 IH ‘‘(D) the term ‘Consumer Price Index’ means 1 the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers 2 (CPI–E, as published by the Bureau of Labor Sta- 3 tistics of the Department of Labor).’’. 4 (2) CONFORMING CHANGE.—Section 215(i)(4) 5 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)(4)) is 6 amended— 7 (A) by striking ‘‘and by section 9001’’ and 8 inserting ‘‘, section 9001’’; and 9 (B) by inserting ‘‘and section 3 of the 10 COVID–19 Emergency Social Security Cost of 11 Living Increase Act of 2020,’’ after ‘‘1986,’’. 12 (c) PUBLICATION OF CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR 13 ELDERLY CONSUMERS.—The Bureau of Labor Statistics 14 of the Department of Labor shall prepare and publish the 15 index authorized by section 191 of the Older Americans 16 Amendments Act of 1987 (29 U.S.C. 2 note) for each cal- 17 endar month, beginning with the date of enactment of this 18 Act, and such index shall be known as the ‘‘Consumer 19 Price Index for Elderly Consumers’’. 20 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 21 subsection (a) shall apply to determinations made with re- 22 spect to cost-of-living computation quarters (as defined in 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:48 Nov 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8600.IH H8600 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 8600 IH section 215(i)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1 415(i)(1)(B))) ending on or after September 30, 2021. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:48 Nov 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H8600.IH H8600 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS