An Act to provide for the examination preliminary to promotion of officers of the naval service
PL 84-584 (H.R.4704), enacted 06/15/1956

284 
PUBLIC LAW 683-JUNE 15, 1956 
[70 ST A T . 
(2) civilian employees of the National Guard and the Air 
National Guard other than those employed by the National Guard 
l^ureau are eligible for membership in a State or Territorial 
employee retirement system, then the Secretary of Defense, pur-
suant to such regulation as may be promulgated by the President, 
is authorized and directed to enter into an agreement with such 
State or Territory within one hundred and twenty days of the 
request for agreement from the proper official of such State or 
Territory. 
Such agreement shall provide that the Department 
of Defense shall comply with the requirements of such law in the 
case of employees subject to this Act who are eligible for mem-
bership in a retirement system for State or Territorial employees, 
and the disbursing officers paying such employees shall withhold 
and pay over to such retirement system the employee contribu-
tions for such employees. 
Approved June 15, 1956. 
June 15, 1956 
[H. R. 4569] 
Public Law 583 
CHAPTER 391 
AN ACT 
To provide for renewal of and adjustment of compensation under contracts 
for carrying mail on water routes. 
Postal Service. 
68 Stat. 998. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the last two 
paragraphs of section 3951 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (39 
U. S. C. 434), are amended by striking out the word "inland" wher-
ever it appears in such paragraphs. 
Approved June 15, 1956. 
June 15, 1956 
[H. R. 4704] 
Public Law 584 
CHAPTER 392 
AN ACT 
To provide for the examination preliminary to promotion of oflBcers of the 
naval service. 
Navy. 
Examination 
promotions. 
34 u s e 274. 
for 
34 u s e 350. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 1496 
of the Revised Statutes is amended to read as follows: 
"No officer in the grade of ensign in the Regular Navy shall be 
promoted permanently to the next higher grade on the active list of 
the Navy until he shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of a board 
of examining officers such mental, moral, and professional qualifica-
tions as the Secretary of the Navy may prescribe. No officer in a 
grade above that of ensign and below that of captain shall be promoted 
to the next higher grade on the active list until he shall demonstrate 
to the satisfaction of a board of examining officers such professional 
qualifications as the Secretary of the Navy may prescribe. The Sec-
retary of the Navy shall issue regulations governing the procedures 
to be followed by such examining boards as he may convene from 
time to time, including regulations to insure a full and fair hearing 
to officers whose cases come before the boards and who demand a 
hearing. 
The Secretary of the Navy may, in his discretion, suspend 
in whole or in part the operation of the provisions of this section 
in connection with the promotion of officers under the Act of July 
24,1941 (55 Stat. 603), as amended." 
70 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 585-JUNE 15, 1956 
SEC. 2. The following laws are repealed: 
(a) Sections 1495, 1499, 1500, 1501, 1502, 1503, and 1504 of the ^g^J "^c 273.27(5-
Kevised Statutes; 
(b) Act of June 18,1878 (ch. 267, 20 Stat. 165); 
^'^ "^^ "6. 
(c) Section 20 of the Act of May 22,1917 (40 Stat. 89), as amended; 32^2! 
^*°' ^®'*' 
and 
(d) Section 316 (k) of the Officer Personnel Act of 1947 (61 Stat. 
3^ use aoei. 
868), as amended. 
Approved June 15, 1956. 
Public Law 585 
CHAPTER 393 
AN ACT 
To amend title II of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948, by 
providing flexibility in the distribution of women oflicers in the grades of 
commander and lieutenant commander, and for other purposes. 
June 15, 1956 
[H. R. 8477] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That title II of the 
Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 (62 Stat. 363) is 
amended by— 
(1) amending section 203 to read as follows: 
"SEC. 203. Women commissioned in the Regular Navy under the 
provisions of this title shall not have permanent commissioned grade 
on the active list of the Eegular Navy above that of commander. 
The 
number of women officers on the active list of the line of the Regular 
Navy in the permanent grades of commander and lieutenant com-
mander shall not exceed 10 per centum and 20 per centum, respectively, 
of the number of women officers on the active list of the line of the 
Regular Navy in the grades of ensign and above at any one time. 
Computations to determine such numbers shall be made at such times 
that the needs of the service require but not less than once annually. 
Whenever a final fraction occurs in any computation made pursuant 
to this section, the nearest whole number shall be taken and if such 
fraction be one-half the next higher whole number shall be taken. 
Upon determining such numbers the Secretary of the Navy may fur-
ther determine the number, which may be a lesser number, of women 
officers on the active list of the line of the Regular Navy which may 
serve in each of these grades, and if the number so determined in the 
grade of commander is less than the computed number the number 
determined in the grade of lieutenant commander may exceed the 
computed number by the amount of such difference. 
The numbers 
so determined shall be held and considered as the authorized numbers 
until subsequent computations and determinations are made. 
No 
woman officer of the Regular Navy shall be reduced in grade or pay, or 
be separated from the active list, as the result of any such computation 
or determination."; 
(2) amending section 206 (b) by— 
(A) inserting before the word "promotion" the word "perma-
nent"; and 
(B) adding at the end of the section the following sentences: 
"A woman officer of the ^rade of ensign in the Regular Navy or 
the Naval Reserve on active duty may be temporarily appointed 
to the grade of lieutenant (junior grade) under regulations pre-
scribed by the President and when so appointed shall be entitled 
to the pay and allowances of such grade from the date of eligibility 
for the temporary appointment. 
The permanent appointment of 
a woman officer so temporarily appointed shall not be vacated by 
reason of such temporary appointment."; 
Womens A r m e d 
Services 
Integri*-
tion Act of 1948> 
amendment. 
34 u s e lOSb. 
Commanders and 
l i e u t e n a n t coii> 
manders* 
Determination of 
numbers. 
34 u s e 307. 
P r © m o t i o n 
t o 
lieutenant jg.