WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, the Miami-Dade County Commission unanimously passed a resolution supporting Congressman Alan Grayson’s (D-FL09) Seniors Deserve a Raise Act (H.R. 3761). H.R. 3761 will change how Social Security Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) are calculated, and calls for a 2.9% increase in Social Security payments in 2016. In October, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced there would be no COLA for 2016.
The resolution, which passed on November 17, “Directs the County’s federal lobbyists to advocate for the passage of [H.R. 3761 or similar legislation].” It also calls for copies of the resolution to be sent to “U.S. Representative Alan Grayson and the remaining members of the Florida Congressional Delegation.”
“I am extremely grateful to the Miami-Dade County Commission for this resolution of support,” Congressman Grayson said. “Special thanks to Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava for being the Prime Sponsor of the resolution, and Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Barbara Jordan for co-sponsoring it.”
The Seniors Deserve a Raise Act requires the Social Security Administration to use the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) – an index that gives additional weight to items seniors are more likely to purchase – starting in 2016 to determine the COLA whenever that index is higher than the currently used CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers). It also calls for a 2.9% COLA for 2016. These increases will apply to retired military benefits as well.
“Since 1975, we have been cheating our seniors out of an amount that has now escalated to $25 billion each year,” Congressman Grayson said. “The Congressional Research Service estimates that this adds up to $388 billion that we have unfairly kept out of the hands of some of our most vulnerable citizens since 1976. And since the increases build upon themselves, it means the older you are, the more you’ve been cheated. Our seniors deserve a raise.”
“I’m glad to have the support of the Miami-Dade County Commission for my bill,” he added. “Support like this can help convince my colleagues to bring this vital bill up for a vote on the House floor. Helping our seniors isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue; it’s not an Orlando or Florida issue; it’s not even an old or young issue. It is an issue that affects everyone.”
Congressman Alan Grayson represents Florida’s 9th Congressional District, which includes Osceola County, as well as parts of Orange and Polk counties.
