H.R. 539: Preserving Our Promise to Seniors Act

112th Congress · introduced 2011-02-08 · Social Welfare · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-02-08 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Deutch, Theodore E. [D-FL-19] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Preserving Our Promise to Seniors Act

Plain summary

Preserving Our Promise to Seniors Act - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish for each calendar month a Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPIEC) that indicates changes over time in consumption expenditures typical for individuals in the United States 62 years of age or older. Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to tie the CPIEC to computation of cost-of-lving increases in OASDI benefits. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to disburse a cash payment of $250 (adjusted for inflation) for each non-COLA year to certain recipients of OASDI benefits, railroad retirement benefits, veterans disability compensation or pension benefits, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits under SSA title XVI. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prescribe special rules for the determination of wages and self-employment income above the contribution and benefit base after 2011. Amends SSA title II to include surplus average indexed monthly earnings (AIME) in the determination of primary OASDI amounts. Develops points of order in the House of Representatives and the Senate with respect to consideration of any legislation whose effect would be a program: (1) reducing OASDI benefits in connection with contributions to individual beneficiary accounts in the private sector; or (2) providing for investment of amounts in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund in any investment vehicle other than interest-bearing U.S. obligations or U.S.-guaranteed obligations.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Preserving Our Promise to Seniors Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Deutch, Theodore E. [D-FL-19] · 44 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Paul Tonko (D-NY), John B. Larson (D-CT), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Judy Chu (D-CA), Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), John Garamendi (D-CA), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112hr539.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/hr>

Record fed-us-cong112-hr539 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112