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] 
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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. 
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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, 
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 amended 
by striking the matter before subsection (e) and inserting 
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; 
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‘‘(B) terminate on the last day of the month be-
fore the former President dies; and 
‘‘(C) be payable by the Secretary of the Treasury 
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 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 increased 
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 Decem-
ber 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) 
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‘‘(B) the applicable reduction amount for such 
12-month period. 
‘‘(2)(A) For purposes of paragraph (1), the ‘applicable 
reduction amount’ is, with respect to any former President 
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 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 section 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 monetary 
allowance of the former President is increased under sub-
section (c) (disregarding this subsection).’’. 
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(b) RELATING
TO
THE SURVIVING SPOUSE
OF
A 
FORMER PRESIDENT.— 
(1) INCREASE IN AMOUNT OF MONETARY ALLOW-
ANCE.—Subsection (e) of the section amended by sub-
section (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 
(B) in the second sentence— 
(i) in paragraph (2), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(ii) in paragraph (3)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘or the government 
of the District of Columbia’’; and 
(II) by striking the period and in-
serting ‘‘; 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).’’. 
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(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 
(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 
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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 en-
actment of this Act, the amendments made by section 
2(b)(1) shall be applied as if the commencement date 
referred to in subsection (e)(1) of the section amended 
by this Act coincided with such date of enactment. 
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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 
known as the ‘‘Former Presidents Act of 1958’’, 
with respect to the monetary allowance payable 
to a former President, and for other purposes. 
JULY 16, 2015 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:19 Jul 16, 2015
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