IB 

Union Calendar No. 157 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1777 

[Report No. 114–209] 

To amend the Act of August 25, 1958, commonly known as the ‘‘Former 

Presidents Act of 1958’’, with respect to the monetary allowance payable 

to a former President, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 14, 2015 

Mr. CHAFFETZ (for himself and Mr. CUMMINGS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

JULY 16, 2015 

Additional sponsor: Mr. GROTHMAN

JULY 16, 2015 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 14, 2015] 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1777 RH

A BILL 

To amend the Act of August 25, 1958, commonly known 

as the ‘‘Former Presidents Act of 1958’’, with respect 

to the monetary allowance payable to a former President, 

and for other purposes. 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1777 RH

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Presidential Allowance 

5 Modernization Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS. 

7 (a) RELATING TO A FORMER PRESIDENT.—The first 

8 section of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to provide retirement, 

9 clerical assistants, and free mailing privileges to former 

10 Presidents of the United States, and for other purposes’’, 

11 approved August 25, 1958 (3 U.S.C. 102 note), is amended 

12 by striking the matter before subsection (e) and inserting 

13 the following: 

14 ‘‘(a) Each former President shall be entitled for the 

15 remainder of his or her life to receive from the United 

16 States— 

17 ‘‘(1) an annuity at the rate of $200,000 per 

18 year, subject to subsection (c); and 

19 ‘‘(2) a monetary allowance at the rate of 

20 $200,000 per year, subject to subsections (c) and (d). 

21 ‘‘(b)(1) The annuity and allowance under subsection 

22 (a) shall each— 

23 ‘‘(A) commence on the day after the individual 

24 becomes a former President; 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1777 RH

1 ‘‘(B) terminate on the last day of the month be2 fore the former President dies; and 

3 ‘‘(C) be payable by the Secretary of the Treasury 

4 on a monthly basis. 

5 ‘‘(2) The annuity and allowance under subsection (a) 

6 shall not be payable for any period during which the former 

7 President holds an appointive or elective position in or 

8 under the Federal Government to which is attached a rate 

9 of pay other than a nominal rate. 

10 ‘‘(c) Effective December 1 of each year, each annuity 

11 and allowance under subsection (a) having a commence12 ment date that precedes such December 1 shall be increased 

13 by the same percentage as the percentage by which benefit 

14 amounts under title II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

15 401 and following) are increased, effective as of such Decem16 ber 1, as a result of a determination under section 215(i) 

17 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)). 

18 ‘‘(d)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 

19 section, the monetary allowance payable under subsection 

20 (a)(2) to a former President for any 12-month period may 

21 not exceed the amount by which— 

22 ‘‘(A) the monetary allowance which (but for this 

23 subsection) would otherwise be so payable for such 12- 

24 month period, exceeds (if at all) 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1777 RH

1 ‘‘(B) the applicable reduction amount for such 

2 12-month period. 

3 ‘‘(2)(A) For purposes of paragraph (1), the ‘applicable 

4 reduction amount’ is, with respect to any former President 

5 and in connection with any 12-month period, the amount 

6 by which— 

7 ‘‘(i) the sum of (I) the adjusted gross income (as 

8 defined by section 62 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

9 1986) of the former President for the last taxable year 

10 ending before the start of such 12-month period, plus 

11 (II) any interest excluded from the gross income of the 

12 former President under section 103 of such Code for 

13 such taxable year, exceeds (if at all) 

14 ‘‘(ii) $400,000, subject to subparagraph (C). 

15 ‘‘(B) In the case of a joint return, subclauses (I) and 

16 (II) of subparagraph (A)(i) shall be applied by taking into 

17 account both the amounts properly allocable to the former 

18 President and the amounts properly allocable to the spouse 

19 of the former President. 

20 ‘‘(C) The dollar amount specified in subparagraph 

21 (A)(ii) shall be adjusted at the same time that, and by the 

22 same percentage as the percentage by which, the monetary 

23 allowance of the former President is increased under sub24 section (c) (disregarding this subsection).’’. 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1777 RH

1 (b) RELATING TO THE SURVIVING SPOUSE OF A

2 FORMER PRESIDENT.— 

3 (1) INCREASE IN AMOUNT OF MONETARY ALLOW4 ANCE.—Subsection (e) of the section amended by sub5 section (a) is amended— 

6 (A) in the first sentence, by striking 

7 ‘‘$20,000 per annum,’’ and inserting ‘‘$100,000 

8 per year (subject to paragraph (4)),’’; and 

9 (B) in the second sentence— 

10 (i) in paragraph (2), by striking 

11 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

12 (ii) in paragraph (3)— 

13 (I) by striking ‘‘or the government 

14 of the District of Columbia’’; and 

15 (II) by striking the period and in16 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (iii) by adding after paragraph (3) the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(4) shall, after its commencement date, be in20 creased at the same time that, and by the same per21 centage as the percentage by which, annuities of 

22 former Presidents are increased under subsection 

23 (c).’’. 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 1777 RH

1 (2) COVERAGE OF WIDOWER OF A FORMER

2 PRESIDENT.—Such subsection (e), as amended by 

3 paragraph (1), is further amended— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘widow’’ each place it ap5 pears and inserting ‘‘widow or widower’’; and 

6 (B) by striking ‘‘she’’ and inserting ‘‘she or 

7 he’’. 

8 SEC. 3. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

9 Nothing in this Act shall be considered to affect— 

10 (1) any provision of law relating to the security 

11 or protection of a former President or a member of 

12 the family of a former President; or 

13 (2) funding, under the law amended by this sec14 tion or under any other law, to carry out any provi15 sion of law described in paragraph (1). 

16 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE; TRANSITION RULES. 

17 (a) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This Act shall take effect on 

18 the date of enactment of this Act. 

19 (b) TRANSITION RULES.— 

20 (1) FORMER PRESIDENTS.—In the case of any 

21 individual who is a former President on the date of 

22 enactment of this Act, the amendment made by sec23 tion 2(a) shall be applied as if the commencement 

24 date referred in subsection (b)(1)(A) of the section 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 1777 RH

1 amended by this Act coincided with such date of en2 actment. 

3 (2) WIDOWS.—In the case of any individual who 

4 is the widow of a former President on the date of en5 actment of this Act, the amendments made by section 

6 2(b)(1) shall be applied as if the commencement date 

7 referred to in subsection (e)(1) of the section amended 

8 by this Act coincided with such date of enactment. 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS

srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 157 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1777 

[Report No. 114–209] 

A BILL 

To amend the Act of August 25, 1958, commonly 

to a former President, and for other purposes. with respect to the monetary allowance payable known as the ‘‘Former Presidents Act of 1958’’, 

JULY 16, 2015 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS