I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1136
To amend title 36, United States Code, to repeal the Federal Charter for 
Retired Enlisted Association, Incorporated. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 6, 2003
Mr. KLECZKA (for himself, Mr. SHAW, Mr. MATSUI, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. 
BALLENGER, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of 
Texas, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. POMEROY, Mr. RYAN of 
Wisconsin, and Mr. GOODLATTE) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend title 36, United States Code, to repeal the Federal 
Charter for Retired Enlisted Association, Incorporated.
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 ‘‘Seniors Protection 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following:
(1) Federal charters are prestigious distinctions 
awarded to organizations with a patriotic, charitable, 
or educational purpose. 
(2) Although intended as an honorific title, a 
Federal charter implies Government support for 
such organizations. 
(3) In 1992, the Federal Government granted 
a Federal charter to the Retired Enlisted Associa-
tion (TREA), and in 1993 TREA established the 
TREA Senior Citizens League (TSCL). 
(4) TREA and TSCL operate as one entity, 
and TREA should be held accountable for TSCL’s 
actions because there is no real distinction between 
the two organizations, except in name only. 
(5) The interconnectedness of TREA and 
TSCL is evidenced by the following: 
(A) Independently conducted audit reports 
for fiscal years 1999 and 2000 concluded that 
TREA’s and TSCL’s financial statements 
should be consolidated because their financial 
activities are inseparable. 
(B) Amendments to TSCL’s articles of in-
corporation and bylaws must be ratified by a 
majority vote of TREA’s Board of Directors.
(C) TSCL’s Board of Trustees are ap-
pointed or elected by TREA’s National Board 
of Directors. 
(D) TSCL may only be dissolved by a two-
thirds vote of TREA’s National Board of Direc-
tors. 
(6) TSCL has solicited contributions from sen-
iors through the use of misleading tactics, and sen-
iors who received deceptive mailings from TSCL 
have filed numerous complaints with the Social Se-
curity Administration, State Attorney General of-
fices, and Members of Congress requesting remedial 
action. 
(7) TCSL’s misleading tactics include the fol-
lowing: 
(A) Mailing solicitations containing rep-
licas of United States Government Social Secu-
rity Trust Fund checks written in the amount 
of $5,000. 
(B) Purporting to have the authority to 
handle distribution of Social Security payments 
by mailing seniors an official looking ‘‘Notch 
Registry’’ plastic identification card and a ‘‘Na-
tional Notch Victim Register’’ form that asks 
seniors to specify whether they prefer their
$5,000 notch payment sent to them in one 
lump sum or in four installment payments, in 
spite of the fact that any such payment (if of-
fered) would be handled exclusively by the So-
cial Security Administration. 
(C) Aggressively soliciting seniors to sup-
port misleading activities, including requesting 
seniors to add a bequest in their wills to TSCL, 
along with instructions for such will prepara-
tion. 
(8) TSCL’s actions are clearly not patriotic, 
charitable, or educational, and failure to revoke 
TREA’s Federal charter sends a signal to the Amer-
ican public that the Federal Government condones 
such unethical and misleading behavior. 
SEC. 3. REPEAL OF FEDERAL CHARTER OF RETIRED EN-
LISTED ASSOCIATION, INCORPORATED. 
(a) REPEAL.—Chapter 1903 of title 36, United 
States Code (relating to a Federal charter for Retired En-
listed Association, Incorporated), is repealed. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis at the be-
ginning of subtitle II of title 36, United States Code, is 
amended by striking the item relating to chapter 1903.
Æ