I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1777 
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 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Presidential Allowance 
Modernization Act’’. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS. 
(a) RELATING TO A FORMER PRESIDENT.—The first 
section of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to provide retirement, 
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clerical assistants, and free mailing privileges to former 
Presidents of the United States, and for other purposes’’, 
approved August 25, 1958 (3 U.S.C. 102 note), is amend-
ed by striking the matter before subsection (e) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(a) Each former President shall be entitled for the 
remainder of his or her life to receive from the United 
States— 
‘‘(1) an annuity at the rate of $200,000 per 
year, subject to subsection (c); and 
‘‘(2) a monetary allowance at the rate of 
$200,000 per year, subject to subsections (c) and 
(d). 
‘‘(b)(1) The annuity and allowance under subsection 
(a) shall each— 
‘‘(A) commence on the day after the individual 
becomes a former President; 
‘‘(B) terminate on the last day of the month be-
fore the former President dies; and 
‘‘(C) be payable by the Secretary of the Treas-
ury on a monthly basis. 
‘‘(2) The annuity and allowance under subsection (a) 
shall not be payable for any period during which the 
former President holds an appointive or elective position 
in or under the Federal Government or the government 
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of the District of Columbia to which is attached a rate 
of pay other than a nominal rate. 
‘‘(c) Effective December 1 of each year, each annuity 
and allowance under subsection (a) having a commence-
ment date that precedes such December 1 shall be in-
creased by the same percentage as the percentage by 
which benefit amounts under title II of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 401 and following) are increased, effective 
as of such December 1, as a result of a determination 
under section 215(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 415(i)). 
‘‘(d)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
section, the monetary allowance payable under subsection 
(a)(2) to a former President for any 12-month period may 
not exceed the amount by which— 
‘‘(A) the monetary allowance which (but for this 
subsection) would otherwise be so payable for such 
12-month period, exceeds (if at all) 
‘‘(B) the applicable reduction amount for such 
12-month period. 
‘‘(2)(A) For purposes of paragraph (1), the ‘applica-
ble reduction amount’ is, with respect to any former Presi-
dent and in connection with any 12-month period, the 
amount by which— 
‘‘(i) the sum of (I) the adjusted gross income 
(as defined by section 62 of the Internal Revenue 
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Code of 1986) of the former President for the last 
taxable year ending before the start of such 12- 
month period, plus (II) any interest excluded from 
the gross income of the former President under sec-
tion 103 of such Code for such taxable year, exceeds 
(if at all) 
‘‘(ii) $400,000, subject to subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(B) In the case of a joint return, subclauses (I) and 
(II) of subparagraph (A)(i) shall be applied by taking into 
account both the amounts properly allocable to the former 
President and the amounts properly allocable to the 
spouse of the former President. 
‘‘(C) The dollar amount specified in subparagraph 
(A)(ii) shall be adjusted at the same time that, and by 
the same percentage as the percentage by which, the mon-
etary allowance of the former President is increased under 
subsection (c) (disregarding this subsection).’’. 
(b) RELATING TO THE SURVIVING SPOUSE OF A 
FORMER PRESIDENT.— 
(1) INCREASE IN AMOUNT OF MONETARY AL-
LOWANCE.—Subsection (e) of the section amended 
by subsection (a) is amended— 
(A) in the first sentence, by striking 
‘‘$20,000 per annum,’’ and inserting ‘‘$100,000 
per year (subject to paragraph (4)),’’; and 
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(B) in the second sentence— 
(i) in paragraph (2), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(ii) in paragraph (3), by striking the 
period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(iii) by adding after paragraph (3) the 
following: 
‘‘(4) shall, after its commencement date, be in-
creased at the same time that, and by the same per-
centage as the percentage by which, annuities of 
former Presidents are increased under subsection 
(c).’’. 
(2) COVERAGE
OF
WIDOWER
OF
A
FORMER 
PRESIDENT.—Such subsection (e), as amended by 
paragraph (1), is further amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘widow’’ each place it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘widow or widower’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘she’’ and inserting ‘‘she 
or he’’. 
SEC. 3. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this Act shall be considered to affect— 
(1) any provision of law relating to the security 
or protection of a former President or a member of 
the family of a former President; or 
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(2) funding, under the law amended by this sec-
tion or under any other law, to carry out any provi-
sion of law described in paragraph (1). 
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE; TRANSITION RULES. 
(a) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This Act shall take effect on 
the date of enactment of this Act. 
(b) TRANSITION RULES.— 
(1) FORMER PRESIDENTS.—In the case of any 
individual who is a former President on the date of 
enactment of this Act, the amendment made by sec-
tion 2(a) shall be applied as if the commencement 
date referred in subsection (b)(1)(A) of the section 
amended by this Act coincided with such date of en-
actment. 
(2) WIDOWS.—In the case of any individual 
who is the widow of a former President on the date 
of enactment of this Act, the amendments made by 
section 2(b)(1) shall be applied as if the commence-
ment date referred to in subsection (e)(1) of the sec-
tion amended by this Act coincided with such date 
of enactment. 
Æ 
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