Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 91.djvu/1591

 PUBLIC LAW 95-216—DEC. 20, 1977 (3) Members of the Commission shall receive $138 per diem while engaged in the actual perforaiance of the duties vested in the Commission, plus reimbursement for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred in the performance of such duties. (4) The Commission shall meet at the call of the Chairman, or at the call of a majority of the members of the Commission; but meetings of the Commission shall be held not less frequently than once in each calendar month which begins after a majority of the authorized membership of the Commission has first been appointed. (b)(1) It shall be the duty and function of the Commission to conduct a continuing study, investigation, and review of— (A) the Federal old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program established by title II of the Social Security Act; and (B) the health insurance programs established by title X VIII of such Act. (2) Such study, investigation, and review of such programs shall include (but not be limited to) — (A) the fiscal status of the trust funds established for the financing of such programs and the adequacy of such trust funds to meet the immediate and long-range financing needs of such programs; (B) the scope of coverage, the adequacy of benefits including the measurement of an adequate retirement income, and the conditions of qualification for benefits provided by such programs including the application of the retirement income test to unearned as well as earned income; (C) the impact of such programs on, and their relation to, public assistance programs, nongovernmental retirement and annuity programs, medical service delivery systems, and national employment practices; (D) any inequities (whether attributable to provisions of law relating to the establishment and operation of such programs, to rules and regulations promulgated in connection with the administration of such programs, or to administrative practices and procedures employed in the carrying out of such programs) which affect substantial numbers of individuals who are insured or otherwise eligible for benefits under such programs, including inequities and inequalities arising out of marital status, sex, or similar classifications or categories; (E) possible alternatives to the current Federal programs or particular aspects thereof, including but not limited to (i) a phasing out of the payroll tax with the financing of such programs being accomplished in some other manner (including general revenue funding and the retirement bond), (ii) the establishment of a system providing for mandatory participation in any or all of the Federal programs, (iii) the integration of such current Federal programs with private retirement programs, and (iv) the establishment of a system permitting covered individuals a choice of public or private programs or both; (F) the need to develop a special Consumer Price Index for the elderly, including the financial impact that such an index would have on the costs of the programs established under the Social Security Act; and (G) methods for effectively implementing the recommendations of the Commission. (3) In order to provide an effective opportunity for the general public to participate fully in the study, investigation, and review under

91 STAT. 1557 Compensation,

Meetings,

Study, investigation and review of programs. 42 USC 401. 42 USC 1395.

contents.

42 USC 1305.

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