An Act to authorize the Civil Service Commission to make available group life insurance for civilian officers and employees in the Federal service, and for other purposes
PL 83-598 (S.3681), enacted 08/17/1954

736 
PUBLIC LAW 598-AUG. 17, 1954 
[68 S T AT 
7 u s e 
1005c. 
1 0 0 5 a. 
Limitation. 
38 Stat. 273. 
Repeal. 
16 u s e 590Z-5. 
may be sold and reinsured. 
All proceeds from such collections, 
including the liquidation of security, and sales shall become a part of 
the Fund. 
"(c) One-half of all insurance charges shall become a part of the 
Fund and one-half shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United 
States and shall be available for administrative expenses in connection 
with the insurance program authorized by this Act. 
"(d) Any contract of insurance executed by the Secretary under 
this Act shall be an obligation of the United States and incontestable 
except for fraud or misrepresentation of which the holder of the 
contract has actual knowledge. 
The provisions of sections 11 and 
13 (b) and (c) of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, as amended, 
shall be applicable and available for the purpose of providing funds 
for the discharge of obligations arising under the insurance program 
authorized by this Act. 
"(e) The aggregate amount of the principal obligations on loans 
insured under this Act, shall not exceed $25,000,000 in any one fiscal 
year, 
"(f) The first paragraph of section 24, chapter 6, of the Federal 
Reserve Act, as amended (12 U. S. C, 1952 edition, 371) is hereby 
amended by inserting after the phrase 'Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant 
Act' the following: ', or the Act of August 28,1937, as amended'." 
SEC. 2. Section 7 of the Act entitled "An Act authorizing construc-
tion of water conservation and utilization projects in the Great Plains 
and arid and semiarid areas of the United States", approved August 
11,1939, as amended (53 Stat. 1418; 54 Stat. 1119,1124; 63 Stat. 171), 
is repealed. 
Approved August 17, 1954. 
August 17, 1954 
[S. 3681] 
Public Law 598 
CHAPTER 752 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Civil Service Coiuinission to malve available group life insurance 
for civilian officers and employees in the Federal service, and for other 
purposes. 
F e d e r a l 
E m -
p l o y e e s ' 
Group 
Life Insurance Act 
of 1954. 
E l i g i b l e 
em-
ployees. 
Regulations 
ese. 
b y 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress asseinhled^ That this Act may 
be cited as the "Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Act of 
1954." 
SEC. 2. (a) Except as provided in (b) of this section, each appoin-
tive or elective officer or employee (hereinafter called employee) in 
or under the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of the United 
States Government, including a Government owned or controlled 
corporation (but not including any corporation under the supervision 
of the Farm Credit Administration of which corporation any member 
of the board of directors is elected or appointed by private interests), 
and of the municipal government of the District of Columbia shall, 
at such time and under such conditions of eligibility as the Civil Service 
Commission (hereinafter called the Commission) may by regulation 
prescribe, come within the purview of this Act. Such regulations may 
provide for the exclusion of employees on the basis of the nature and 
type of employment or conditions pertaining thereto such as, but not 
limited to, short term appointments, seasonal or intermittent employ-
ment, part-time employment, and employment of like nature, and 
shall be issued only after consultation with the head of the depart-
ment, establishment, agency, or other employing authority concerned: 
Provided^ That no employee or group of employees shall be excluded 
solely on the basis of the hazardous nature of employment. 
68 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 598-AUG. 17, 1954 
737 
(b) This Act shall not apply to noncitizen employees whose per-
manent duty station is located outside a State of the United States 
or the District of Columbia, nor shall it apply to commissioned officers 
and enlisted personnel on active duty in or with the Army, ^lavy. Air 
Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard of the United States, who have 
indemnity coverage under the Servicemen's Indemnity Act of 1951 
(65 Stat. 33). 
SEC. 3. (a) Each employee to whom this Act applies shall be 
eligible to be insured for an amount of group life insurance approxi-
mating his annual compensation not exceeding $20,000 plus an equal 
amount of group accidental death and dismemberment insurance, in 
accordance with the following schedule: 
N o n a pplicabili-
ty. 
38 u s e 851 note. 
Amount. 
If annual compensation is— 
Greater than 
0 
$1,000 
2,000 
3,000 
4,000 
5,000 
6,000 
7,000 
8,000 
9,000 
10,000 
11,000 
12,000 
13,000 
14,000 
15,000 
16,000 
17,000 
18,000 
19,000 
But not greater 
than 
$1,000 
2,000 
3,000 
4,000 
5,000 
6,000 
7,000 
8,000 
9,000 
10,000 
11,000 
12,000 
13,000 
14,000 
15,000 
16,000 
17,000 
18,000 
19,000 
The amount of 
group life 
insurance 
shall be— 
$1,000 
2,000 
3,000 
4,000 
5,000 
6,000 
7,000 
8,000 
9,000 
10,000 
11,000 
12,000 
13,000 
14,000 
15,000 
16,000 
17,000 
18,000 
19,000 
20,000 
The amount of 
group accidental 
death and dis-
memberment 
insurance shall 
be— 
$1,000 
2,000 
3,000 
4,000 
5,000 
6,000 
7,000 
8,000 
9,000 
10,000 
11,000 
12,000 
13,000 
14,000 
15,000 
16,000 
17,000 
18,000 
19,000 
20,000 
(b) Subject to the conditions and limitations of the policy or and^'dut^l^mb"* 
policies purchased by the Commission under this Act, as may be ment payments. 
approved by the Commission, the group accidental death and dis-
memberment insurance shall provide payments as follows: 
Loss 
For loss of life. 
Loss of one hand or of one foot or 
loss of sight of one eye. 
Loss of two or more such members. 
Amount payable 
Full amount shown in the schedule in 
(a) of this section. 
One-half the amount shown in the sched-
ule in (a) of this section. 
Full amount shown in the schedule in, 
(a) of this section. 
a t i o n 
to a n-
Insurance a f t e r 
For any one accident the aggregate amount of group accidental death 
and dismemberment insurance that may be paid shall not exceed the 
amount shown in the schedule in (a) of this section. 
(c) The Commission shall by regulation provide for the conversion conv^rsfon* 
of other than annual rates of compensation to an annual basis, and ""^i 'ates. 
shall further specify the types of compensation to be included in 
annual compensation. 
(d) Each of such amounts of insurance shall be reduced by 2 per 
centum thereof at the end of each full calendar month following the 
date the employee attains age sixty-five, subject to minimum amounts 
prescribed by the Commission, but not less than 25 per centum of the 
insurance in force immediately preceding the first reduction provided 
herein: Provided^ That the amounts of insurance in force from time 
to time on an employee who becomes insured under this Act after 
having attained the age of sixty-five shall be the same as would be in 
force had he been insured at age sixty-five, and shall be based on the 
39777 O—55—pt. 1-
-49 
738 
PUBLIC LAW 598-AUG. 17, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
Death 
payment. 
Order of preced-
ence. 
Withholding of 
premium cost from 
salary. 
A u t o m a t i c in-
surance. 
N o t i c e of de-
sire not to be in-
sured. 
Government con-
tribution. 
lesser of his annual compensation (1) at the time he becomes so 
insured, or (2) at age sixty-five, provided he was eligible at that time 
to be insured under this Act. 
claims, 
jgj,(, 4 Any amount of group life insurance and group accidental 
death insurance in force on any employee at the date of his death 
shall be paid, upon the establishment of a valid claim therefor, to the 
person or persons surviving at the date of his death, in the following 
order of precedence: 
First, to the beneficiary or beneficiaries as the employee may have 
designated by a writing received in the employing office prior to 
death; 
Second, if there be no such beneficiary, to the widow or widower of 
such employee; 
Third, if none of the above, to the child or children of such employee 
and descendants of deceased children by representation; 
Fourth, if none of the above, to the parents of such employee or 
the survivor of them; 
Fifth, if none of the above, to the duly appointed executor or admin-
istrator of the estate of such employee; 
Sixth, if none of the above, to other next of kin of such employee 
entitled under the laws of domicile of such employee at the time of his 
death. 
If any person otherwise entitled to payment under this section does 
not make claim therefor within one year after the death of the 
employee, or if payment to such person within that period is pro-
hibited by Federal statute or regulation, payment may be made in the 
order of precedence as if such person had predeceased the employee, 
and any such payment shall be a bar to recovery by any other person. 
SEC. 5. (a) During any period in which an employee under age 
sixty-five is insured under a policy of insurance purchased by the 
Commission as authorized in section 7 of this Act, there shall be with-
held from each salary payment of such employee, as his share of the 
cost of his group life and accidental death and dismemberment insur-
ance, an amount determined by the Commission, but not to exceed 
the rate of 25 cents biweekly for each $1,000 of his group life insur-
ance: Provided^ That an employee who is paid on other than a 
biweekly basis shall have an amount so withheld, determined at a 
proportionate rate, which rate shall be adjusted to the nearest cent. 
Any policy of insurance purchased by the Commission as authorized 
in section 7 of this Act shall provide that all employees eligible under 
the terms of this Act will be automatically insured thereunder com-
mencing on the date they first become so eligible: Provided^ That any 
employee desiring not to be so insured shall, on an appropriate form 
to be prescribed by the Commission, give written notice to his employ-
ing office that he desires not to be insured. 
If such notice is received 
before the employee shall have become insured under such policy, he 
shall not be so insured; if it is received after he shall have become 
insured, his insurance under the policy will cease effective with the 
end of the pay period during which the notice is received by the 
employing office. 
(h) For each period in which an employee is insured under a policy 
of insurance purchased by the Commission as authorized in section 7 
of this Act, there shall be contributed from the respective appropria-
tion or fund which is used for payment of his salary, wage, or other 
compensation (or, in the case of an elected official, from such appro-
priation or fund as may be available for payment of other salaries of 
the same office or establishment) a sum computed at a rate determined 
by the Commission, but not to exceed one-half the amount Avithheld 
from the employee under this section. 
vyt 
68 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 598-.AUG. 17, 1964 
739 
(c) The sums withheld from employees under subsection (a) and 
the sums contributed from appropriations and funds under subsection 
(b) shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States to the 
credit of a fund which is hereby created. 
Said fund is hereby made 
available without fiscal year limitation for premium payments under 
any insurance policy or policies purchased as authorized in sections 7 
and 10 of this Act, and for any expenses incurred by the Commission 
in the administration of this Act within such limitations as may be 
specified annually in appropriation acts: Provided^ That appropria-
tions available to the Commission for salaries and expenses for the 
fiscal year 1955 shall be available on a reimbursable basis for necessary 
administrative expenses of carrying out the purposes of this Act until 
said fund shall be sufficient to provide therefor. 
The income derived 
from any dividends or premium rate adjustments received from 
insurers shall constitute a part of said fund. 
SEC. 6. Each policy purchased under this Act shall contain a pro-
vision, in terms approved by the •Commission, to the effect that any 
insurance thereunder on any employee shall cease upon his separation 
from the service or twelve months after discontinuance of his salary 
payments, whichever first occurs, subject to a provision which shall be 
contained in the policy for temporary extension of coverage and for 
conversion to an individual policy of life insurance under conditions 
approved by the Commission, except that if upon such date as the 
insurance would otherwise cease the employee (a) retires on an im-
mediate annuity, and (b) unless retired for disability, has had fifteen 
years of creditable civilian service, as determined by the Commission, 
his life insurance only may, under conditions determined by the Com-
mission, be continued without cost to him in the amounts for which 
he would have been insured from time to time had his salary payments 
continued at the same rate as on the date of cessation. 
SEC. 7. (a) The Commission is authorized, without regard to section 
3709 of the Kevised Statutes as amended, to purchase from one or more 
life insurance companies, as determined by it, a policy or policies of 
group life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance to pro-
vide the benefits specified in this Act: Provided^ That any such com-
pany must meet the following requirements: (1) Be licensed under the 
laws of forty-eight of the States of the United States and the Dis-
trict of Columbia to transact life and accidental death and dismem-
berment insurance, and (2) the amount of its employee group life in-
surance on the most recent December 31 for which information is avail-
able to the Commission shall on that date equal at least 1 per centum 
of the total amount of employee group life insurance in the United 
States in all life insurance companies. 
(b) The life insurance company or companies issuing such policy 
or policies shall establish an administrative office under a name to be 
approved by the Commission. 
(c) The Commission shall arrange with the life insurance com-
pany or companies issuing any policy or policies purchased under this 
Act to reinsure, under conditions approved by it, portions of the 
total amount of insurance under the policy or policies, determined as 
provided in subsection (d) of this section, with such other life insur-
ance companies as may elect to participate in such reinsurance. 
(d) The Commission shall determine a formula so that the amount 
of insurance-in force to be retained by each issuing company after 
ceding reinsurance and the total amount of reinsurance ceded to each 
reinsuring company shall be in proportion to the total amount of each 
such company's group life insurance in force in the United States on 
December 31, 1953: Prc/oided., That in determining such proportions. 
Deposits; fund. 
A dm i nistrative 
expenses of Com-
mission. 
Dividends or rate 
adjustments. 
Termination of 
insurance. 
Purchase of pol-
icies. 
41 use 5. 
Requirements. 
Admi nis t rat ive 
office. 
Reinsurance. 
Formula for ap-
portioning r e i n-
surance. 
740 
PUBLIC LAW 598-AUG. 17, 1954 
[68 
S T A T . 
Fraternal b e n e -
fit associations. 
E l i g i b i l i t y re-
determination, etc. 
Policy di s c on-
tinuance. 
Basic tables of 
premium rates. 
Life insurance. 
Accidental death 
and d i s m e m b e r -
ment. 
that portion of any company's group life insurance in force on Decem-
ber 31, 1953, which is in excess of $100,000,000 shall be reduced by 25 
per centum of the first $100,000,000 of such excess, 50 per centum of 
the second $100,000,000 of such excess, 75 per centum of the third 
$100,000,000 of such excess, and 95 per centum of any excess there-
after: Provided further, That the amount retained by or ceded to 
any company shall not exceed 25 per centum of the amount of that 
company's total life insurance in force in the United States on Decem-
ber 31,1953: Provided further, That if, at the end of one year follow-
ing the date of enactment of this Act, in the case of any issuing 
company or reinsurer which insured employees of the Federal Gov-
ernment on December 31, 1953, under policies issued to an association 
of Federal employees, the amount which results from the application 
of this formula is less than the decrease, if any, in the amount of such 
company's insurance under such policies, the amount allocated to such 
company shall, upon the first reallocation as provided in subsection 
(e) of this section, be increased to the amount of such decrease: And 
provided further, 
That any fraternal benefit association which is 
licensed under the laws of a State of the United States or the District 
of Columbia to transact life insurance and is engaged in issuing 
insurance certificates on the lives of employees of the Federal Govern-
ment exclusively shall be eligible to act as a reinsuring company and 
may be allocated an amount of reinsurance equal to 25 per centum of 
its total life insurance in force on employees of the Federal Govern-
ment on December 31,1953. 
(e) The companies eligible to participate as reinsurers, and the 
amount of insurance under the policy or policies to be allocated to each 
issuing company or reinsurer may be redetermined by the Commis-
sion for and in advance of any policy year after the first, on a basis 
consistent with subsections (c) and (d) of this section, with any 
modifications thereof it deems appropriate to carry out the intent of 
such subsections, and based on each participating company's group 
life insurance in force, excluding that under any policy or policies 
purchased under this Act except in the case of companies covered in 
the third proviso of subsection (d), in the United States on the most 
recent December 31 for which information is available to it, and shall 
be so redetermined in a similar manner not less often than every three 
years or at any time that any participating company withdraws from 
participation. 
(f) The Commission may at any time discontinue any policy or 
policies it has purchased from any insurance company. 
SEC. 8. (a) Each policy or policies purchased under this Act shall 
include, for the first policy year, basic tables of premium rates as 
follows: 
(1) For group life insurance, a schedule of basic premium rates by 
age which the Commission shall have determined on a basis consistent 
with the lowest schedule of basic premium rates generally charged 
for new group life insurance policies issued to large employers, this 
schedule of basic premium rates by age to be applied, except as other-
wise provided in this section, to the distribution by age of the amounts 
of group life insurance under the policy at its date of issue to deter-
mine an average basic premium rate per $1,000 of life insurance, and 
(2) For group accidental death and dismemberment insurance, a 
basic premium rate which the Commission shall have determined on 
a basis consistent with the lowest rate generally charged for new group 
accidental death and dismemberment insurance policies issued to large 
employers. 
68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 598-AUG. 17, 1954 
741 
Each policy so purchased shall also include provisions whereby the 
basic rates of premium determined for the first policy year shall be 
continued for subsequent policy years, except that they may be read-
justed for any subsequent year, based on the experience under the 
policy, such readjustment to be made by the insurance company or 
companies issuing the policy on a basis determined by the Commission 
in advance of such year to be consistent with the general practice of 
life insurance companies under policies of group life and group acci-
dental death and dismemberment insurance issued to large employers. 
(b) Each policy so purchased shall include a provision that, in the 
event the Commission determines that ascertaining the actual age 
distribution of the amounts of group life insurance in force at the 
date of issue of the policy or at the end of the first or any subsequent 
year of insurance thereunder would not be possible except at a dis-
proportionately high expense, it may approve the determination of a 
tentative average group life premium rate, for the first or any sub-
sequent policy year, in lieu of using the actual age distribution. Such 
tentative average! '^emium rate shall be redetermined by the Com-
mission during ai^j policy year upon request by the insurance com-
pany or companies issuing the policy, if experience indicates that the 
assumptions made in determining the tentative average premium rate 
for that policy year were incorrect. 
(c) Each policy so purchased shall contain a provision stipulating 
the maximum expense and risk charges for the first policy year, which 
charges shall have been determined by the Commission on a basis 
consistent with the general level of such charges made by life in-
surance companies under policies of group life and accidental death 
and dismemberment insurance issued to large employers. Such maxi-
mum charges shall be continued from year to year, except that the 
Commission may redetermine such maximum charges for any year 
either b j agreement with the insurance company or companies issuing 
the policy or upon written notice given by it to such companies at 
least one year in advance of the beginning of the year for which such 
redetermined maximum charges will be effective. 
(d) Each such policy shall provide for an accounting to the Com-
mission not later than ninety days after the end of each policy year, 
which shall set forth, in a form approved by the Commission, (1) the 
amounts of premiums actually accrued under the policy from its date 
of issue to the end of such policy year, (2) the total of all mortality and 
other claim charges incurred for that period, and (3) the amounts of 
the insurers' expense and risk charges for that period. Any excess of 
the total of item (1) over the sum of items (2) and (3) shall be held 
by the insurance company or companies issuing the policy as a special 
contingency reserve to be used by such insurance company or com-
panies for charges under such policy only, such reserve to bear interest 
at a rate to be determined in advance of each policy year by the insur-
ance company or companies issuing the policy, which rate shall be 
approved by the Commission as being consistent with the rates gener-
ally used by such company or companies for similar funds held under 
other group life insurance policies: Provided^ That, if and when the 
Commission determines that such special contingency reserve has 
attained an amount estimated by it to make satisfactory provision for 
adverse fluctuations in future charges under the policy, any further 
such excess shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States to 
the credit of the fund. If and wlien such policy is discontinued, and 
if after all charges have been made, there is any positive balance re-
maining in such special contingency reserve, such balance shall be 
deposited in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the 
Readjustment of 
rates. 
Tentative a v e r-
age premixun rate. 
M a x i m u m 
p en s e an d 
charges. 
e x -
risk 
Yearly 
ing. 
Special contin-
gency reserve. 
im 
PUBLIC LAW 598-AUG. 17, 1954 
[68 S T A T , 
Benefit c e r t if-
icates. 
Retired employ-
e e s ' 
i n s u r a n c e 
agreements, etc. 
Assumption b y 
fund. 
Payments. 
Transfer of as-
s e t s or liability 
amount. 
Restrictions. 
Promulgation of 
regulations. 
Advisory Coun-
cil on GiToup In-
surance. 
Committe e. 
fund, subject to the right of the insurance company or companies 
issuing the policy to make such deposit in equal monthly-installments 
over a period of not more than two years. 
SEC. 9. The Commission shall arrange to have each employee in-
sured under such policy receive a certificate setting forth the benefits 
to which the employee is entitled thereunder, to whom such benefits 
shall be payable, to whom claims should be submitted, and summariz-
ing the provisions of the policy principally affecting the employee. 
Such certificate shall be in lieu of the certificate which the insurance 
company or companies would otherwise be required to issue. 
SEC. 10. (a) The Commission is authorized to arrange with any non-
profit association of Federal employees for the assumption by the fund 
of any existing life insurance agreements of such association with its 
members retired or otherwise separated from the Federal service and 
to insure the obligations assumed with any company or companies 
meeting the requirements of section 7 (a). 
(b) Any such arrangement shall provide that payments by such 
insured members for life insurance only shall th? reafter be made at 
the same rates to the fund, under such conditioika. ,rfS the Commission 
may prescribe. 
(c) Any such arrangement shall further provide that there be trans-
ferred to and deposited in the fund the lesser of the following amounts: 
(1) The total assets of the life insurance fund of such associa-
tion; or 
(2) The amount required to meet the liabilities under life insur-
ance agreements assumed, taking into account the payments as 
provided in paragraph (b). The determination of this amount 
shall be based on an actuarial valuation satisfactory to the Com-
mission, procured by the association without expense to the 
Commission. 
(d) The arrangements authorized by this section shall be made only 
with those associations which terminate life insurance agreements 
with all of their members within one year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and such arrangements shall apply only to life insurance 
granted to any member by any such association before January 1,1954. 
(e) In any case in which the fund assumes a liability for life insur-
ance as provided in this section in respect to a person who (1) subse-
quently becomes eligible to be insured as an employee under this Act, 
and (2) does not give notice, as provided in section 5 (a), of his desire 
not to be so insured, the life insurance provided under this section 
shall terminate as of the date such person becomes insured as an 
employee. 
SEC. 11. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Commission is 
hereby authorized to promulgate such regulations as may be necessary 
and proper to give elOfect to the intent, purposes, and provisions of this 
Act. 
SEC. 12. (a) There is hereby established an Advisory Council on 
Group Insurance consisting of the Secretary of the Treasury as Chair-
man, the Secretary of Labor, and the Director of the Bureau of the 
Budget, who shall serve without additional compensation. 
The 
Council shall meet once a year, or oftener at the call of the Commis-
sion, and shall review the operations of this Act and advise the Com-
mission on matters of policy relating to its activities thereunder. 
(b) The Chairman of the Commission shall appoint a committee 
composed of five employees insured under this Act, who shall serve 
without compensation, to advise the Commission regarding matters of 
concern to employees under this Act. 
68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 599-AUG. 18, 1954 
743 
SEC. 13. The Commission shall report annually to Congress upon the 
operation of this Act. 
SEC. 14. The district courts of the United States shall have original 
jurisdiction, concurrent with the Court of Claims, of any civil action 
or claim against the United States founded upon this Act. 
SEC. 15. The insurance provided by this Act and the withholdings 
and contributions for that purpose shall become effective when directed 
by the Commission. 
Approved August 17, 1954. 
Report to C o n -
gress, 
C o u r t jurisdic-
tion. 
Effectivity. 
Public Law 599 
CHAPTER 753 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
To authorize the Commissioners of tlie District of Columbia to promulgate 
special regulations for the period of The American Legion National Convention 
of 1954, to authorize the granting of certain permits to The American Legion 
1954 Convention Corporation on the occasion of such convention, and for other 
purposes. 
August 18, 1954 
[H. J. Res. 560] 
Vehicles. 
Vendors. 
Definitions. 
Resolved hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United 
States of America in Congress asseinbled^ That for The American N^^^'if^convin" 
Legion National Convention to be held in the District of Columbia tion, 
for the period from August 25 to September 7, 1954, both inclusive, ^^[ ^- P"'""^' 
the Commissioners are authorized and directed to make all reasonable 
regulations necessary to secure the preservation of public order and 
protection of life, health, and property; to make special regulations 
respecting the standing, movement, and operation of vehicles of what-
ever character or kind during said period; and to grant under such 
conditions as they may impose, special licenses to peddlers and vendors 
for the privilege of selling goods, wares, and merchandise in such 
l)]aces in the District of Columbia, and to charge such fees for such 
privilege, as they may deem proper. 
SEC. '2. For the purposes of this joint resolution, the term "Com-
missioners" means the Commissioners of the District of Columbia or 
their designated agent or agents; the term "corporation" means The 
American Legion 1954 Convention Corporation of the District of 
Columbia; and the term "convention'- means The American Legion 
National Convention of 1954 to be held in Washington, District of 
Columbia, on August 29, 30, and 31 and September 1 and 2, 1954. 
SEC. 3. The Superintendent of National Capital Parks with the "^* °' grounds, 
approval of such officer as may exercise jurisdiction over any of the 
Federal reservations or grounds in the District of Columbia, other 
than those areas under the jurisdiction of the Congress or any com-
mittee thereof, is authorized to grant to the corporation permits for 
the use of such reservations or grounds during the convention, includ-
ing a reasonable time prior and subsequent thereto; the Architect 
of the Capitol is authorized to grant like permits for the use of those 
areas under the jurisdiction of the Congress or any committee thereof; 
and the Commissioners are authorized to grant like permits for the 
use of ])ublic space under their jurisdiction, including the grounds 
and stadia of the public schools. Each such permit shall be subject 
Restrictions. 
to such restrictions, terms, and conditions as may be imposed by the 
grantor of such permit. 
No stand or other structure shall be built on 
any sidewalk, street, park, reservation or other public grounds in the 
District of Columbia, except with the approval of the corporation, 
and with the approval of the Superintendent of National Capital 
Parks, the Architect of the Capitol, or the Commissioners, as the case 
may be, depending on the location of such stand. The reservations, 
grounds, or public spaces occupied by the stands or other structures 
shall, after the convention, be promptly restored to their previous con-
dition. The corporation shall indemnify and save harmless the Dis-