CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - SENATE February 3

authorizations multiplied to the point

where he felt compelled to exercise his

veto. The same pattern recurred in the

administrations of Presidents Roosevelt

and Truman. In view of this historical

pattern, which by now has become so

clear, I think that it is both wiser and

fairer to make known my views on this

subject at the outset. I therefore regretfully withhold my approval of S. 987.

As has been suggested in the past, it

seems to me wholly appropriate that

anniversaries like this one, which the

Congress deems it desirable to commem- orate, should be recognized by bills authorizing the Treasury to provide suitable commemorative medals at cost.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE WHITE HOUSE, February 3, 1954.

COINAGE OF 50-CENT PIECES TO

COMMEMORATE THE TERCENTENNIAL OF FOUNDATION OF

CITY OF NEW YORK-VETO MESSAGE (S. DOC. NO. 94)

The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message

from the President of the United States,

which was read, and, with the accompanying bill, ordered to lie on the table:

To the United States Senate:

I am returning herewith, without my

approval, S. 2474, "to authorize the coinage of 50-cent pieces to commemorate

the tercentennial of the foundation of

the city of New York."

The proposed legislation would authorize the coinage of not to exceed

5 million silver 50-cent pieces in com- memoration of the tercentennial of the

founding of the city of New York.

The principal objection to commemorative coins is that they detract from

the fundamental function of the coinage

as a medium of exchange. Multiplicity

of designs on United States coins would

tend to create confusion among the public, and to facilitate counterfeiting. The

Congress recognized the necessity for

limiting the designs of coins by section

3510 of the Revised Statutes which provides that "no change in the design or

die of any coin shall be made oftener

than once in 25 years from and including the year of the first adoption of the

design, model, die, or hub for the same

coin."

I am further advised by the Treasury

Department that in the past in many

instances the public interest in these special coins has been so short lived that

their sales for the purposes intended

have lagged with the result that large

quantities have remained unsold and

have been returned to the mints for

melting.

I fully recognize the importance to the

country of the event which this coin

would commemorate. I recognize, too,

that the authorization of 1 or 2 or 3 of

such issues of coins would not do major

harm. However, experience has demonstrated that the authorization of even a

single commemorative issue brings forth

a flood of other authorizations to commemorate events or anniversaries of

local or national importance. In the

administration of President Hoover,

these authorizations multiplied to the

point where he felt compelled to exer- cise his veto. The same pattern recurred

in the administrations of Presidents

Roosevelt and Truman. In view of this.

historical pattern, which by now has become so clear, I think that it is both

wiser and fairer to make known my views

on this subject at the outset. I therefore regretfully withhold my approval

of S. 2474.

As has been suggested in the past, it

seems to me wholly appropriate that

anniversaries like this one, which the

Congress deems it desirable to commemorate, should be recognized by bills authorizing the Treasury to provide suitable commemorative medals at cost.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE WHITE HOUSE, February 3, 1954.

RETIREMENT OF EMPLOYEES IN

THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the amendment of the

House of Representatives to the bill (S.

2175) to amend title VI of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended, with respect to the retirement

of employees in the legislative branch,

which was to strike out all after the en- acting clause and insert:

That title VI of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended, is amended

by adding at the end thereof the following new section:

"Szc. 603. (a) Section 4 of the Civil Service

Retirement Act of May 29, 1930, as amended,

is amended by adding at the end thereof the

following new subsection:

" '(g) Any officer or employee in the legis- lative branch of the Government within the

classes of officers and employees made eligible for the benefits of this act by the act of

July 13, 1937, or the act of June 21, 1947,

retiring under this act on or after the date

of enactment of this subsection and after

having rendered at least 6 years of service as such an officer or employee shall, if he so elects at the time of retirement, be paid, in

lieu of an annuity computed under subsection (a), a life annuity equal to the sum of the following: "'(A) 2/2 percent of the average salary,

pay, or compensation received by him during

any five consecutive years of allowable serv- ice at his option multiplied by the sum of his

years of service as an employee described in

this subsection and the years of his allowable military or naval service; and

'(B) 11/2 percent of such average salary,

pay, or compensation multiplied by the years of his allowable service other than service

referred to in clause (A). "'In no case shall an annuity computed

under this subsection exceed an amount

equal to 75 percent of the highest average annual salary, pay, or compensation received

by the officer or employee during any 5 con- secutive years of allowable service. No officer or employee shall be entitled to the

benefits of this subsection unless there shall

have been deducted and withheld from his

salary, pay, or compensation for the last 5

years of his service, or there shall have been

deposited under section 9 with respect to

such last 5 years of service, the amounts

specified in section 9.'

"(b) Section 3 (a) of such act Is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new paragraph:

"'Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, any officer or employee in the

legislative branch of the Government within

the classes of officers or employees which were made eligible for the benefits of this

act by the act of July 13, 1937, or the act of June 21, 1947, serving in such position or the date of enactment of this paragraph,

may give notice of his desire to come within

the purview of this act at any time prior

to the expiration of 6 months after such

date of enactment.'

"(c) Section 3A of such act is amended as follows:

" '(1) Paragraph (3) is amended to read as follows:

"'" (3) No person shall be entitled to re- ceive an annuity as provided in this section

until he shall have become separated from

the service after having had at least 6 years

of service as a Member of Congress and have

attained the age of 62 years or after having

had at least 10 years of service as a Member

of Congress and have attained the age of 60

years, except that (A) any such Member who

shall have had at least 5 years of service as

a Member of Congress, may, subject to the

provisions of section 6 and of paragraph (4)

of this section, be retired for disability, irrespective of age, and be paid an annuity

computed in accordance with paragraph (5)

of this section, and (B) any such Member

who shall have become separated from the

service after having had a least 10 years of

service as a Member of Congress and have attained the age of 55 years may receive an

annuity computed as provided in paragraph

(5) of this section reduced by one-fourth of

1 percent for each full month he is under the

age of 60 years.' " "'(2) Paragraph (5) Is amended to read as

follows:

... (5) Subject to the provisions of section

9 and of subsections (c) and (d) of section

4, the annuity of a Member of Congress shall

be an amount equal to 21 percent of the

average annual basic salary, pay, or compensation received by him during any 5

consecutive years of allowable service as a

Member of Congress at his option multiplied

by the sum of his years of service as a Member of Congress and his years of active service

performed as a member of the Armed Forces

of the United States prior to his separation

from service as a Member of Congress, but no

such annuity shall exceed an amount equal

to three-fourths of the basic salary, pay, or

compensation that he is receiving at the time

of such separation from service.'"

" '(3) Paragraph (10) is amended by inserting before the period at the end thereof

a semicolon and the following: "and the term

'basic salary, pay, or compensation' includes amounts received as expense allowance under

section 601 (b) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended; and the

term 'active service performed as a member

of the Armed Forces of the United States' means (A) active service performed as a

member of such forces, during any war or

national emergency proclaimed by the President or declared by the Congress, by a Member of Congress who left or leaves his office

for the purpose of performing such service,

and (B) any other periods of active service,

not to exceed an aggregate of 5 years, performed as a member of such forces, but shall

not include any such service for which credit

is allowed for the purposes of retirement or retired pay under any other provision of law,

including title II of the Army and Air Force

Vitalization and Retirement Equalization

Act of 1948."'

"(d) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions

of section 3 (a) of the Act of February 28,

1948-

"(A) the last proviso in section 9 of the

Civil Service Act of May 29, 1930, as amended,

shall apply to Members of Congress; and

"(B) subsections (c) and (d) of section 12

of such act shall apply in the case of Members of Congress dying after the date of enactment of this section. Such subsections

(c) and (d) shall apply to the widower of

any such Member of Congress to the same

extent and In the same manner as to the

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