An Act to amend title VI of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended, with respect to the retirement of employees in the Legislative Branch
PL 83-303 (S.2175), enacted 03/06/1954

68 STAT.] 
PUBLIC LAW 303-MAR. 6, 1954 
21 
Public Law 303 
CHAPTER 59 
AN ACT 
To amend title VI of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended, 
witli respect to the retirement of employees in the Legislative Branch. 
March 6. 1954 
[S.2175] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That Title VI of 
the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended, is amended by 
adding at the end thereof the following new section: 
"SEC. 603. (a) Section 4 of the Civil Service Retirement Act of 
May 29, 1930, as amended, is amended by adding at the end thereof 
the following new subsection: 
"'(g) Any officer or employee in the legislative branch of the 
Government within the classes of officers and employees made eligible 
for the benefits of this Act by the Act of July 13, 1937, the Act of 
June 21, 1947, or the Act of July 23, 1953, who is separated from 
service on or after the date of enactment of this subsection after 
having rendered at least five years of service as such an officer or em-
ployee and after having become entitled to an immediate or future 
annuity under this Act shall, if he so elects at the time of commence-
ment of such annuity, be paid, in lieu of an annuity computed under 
subsection (a), a life annuity equal to the sum of the following: 
" ' (A) 2% per centum of the average salary, pay, or compensa-
tion received by him during any five consecutive years of allow-
able service at his option multiplied by the sum of the years, not 
exceeding fifteen, of his service as an employee described in this 
subsection and of his allowable military or naval service; and 
" '(B) 11/^ per centum of such average salary, pay, or compen-
sation multiplied by the years of his allowable service other than 
service used in computing annuity under clause (A). 
In no case shall an annuity computed under this suDsection exceed an 
amount equal to 80 per centum of the highest average annual salary, 
pay, or compensation received by the officer or employee during any 
five consecutive years of allowable service. No officer or employee 
shall be entitled to the benefits of this subsection unless (i) there shall 
have been deducted and withheld from his salary, pay, or compensa-
tion for the last five years of his allowable civilian service, or there 
shall have been deposited under section 9 with respect to such last five 
years of service, the amounts specified in section 9, and (ii) the last 
eleven months of his allowable civilian service shall have been per-
formed as an employee described in this subsection. 
Service per-
formed prior to the date of enactment of this subsection shall not be 
counted for the purposes of this subsection in the case of any person 
not serving as an officer or employee described in this subsection on 
such date unless such person performs at least eleven months of 
service as such an officer or employee subsequent to such date. Para-
graphs (A) and (B) hereof shall also apply in the case of any person 
who was heretofore or is hereafter separated from the service with title 
to annuity and who hereafter serves as a Member of Congress.' 
"(b) Section 3 (a) of such Act is amended by adding at the end 
thereof the following new paragraph: 
" 'Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, any officer or 
employee in the legislative branch of the Government within the 
classes of officers or employees which were made eligible for the bene-
fits of this Act by the Act of July 13,1937, the Act of June 21,1947, or 
the Act of July 23,1953, serving in such position on the date of enact-
ment of this paragraph, may give notice of his desire to come within 
the purview of this Act at any time prior to the expiration of six 
months after such date of enactment.' 
L e g i s l a t i v e 
Branch. 
Retirement bene» 
fits. 
60 Stat. 850. 
46 Stat. 468; 6a 
Stat. 476. 
5 u s e 698. 
Coitqjutation. 
50 Stat. 512; 6][ 
Stat. 135; 67 Stat. 
186. 
5 u s e 
6 9 3 b-
693d, 698b, 71Sd, 
719a, 693. 
Restrictions. 
5 u s e 736b. 
Later service as 
M e m b e r of Con-
gress. 
5 u s e 693(a). 
Notice. 
5 u s e 
6 9 3b-
693d, 698b. 715d, 
719a, 693. 
22 
PUBLIC LAW 303-MAR. 6, 1954 
[68 
S T A T . 
60 Stat. 850. 
5 u s e 693-1. 
Members of Con-
gress. 
Eligibility. 
5 u s e 710-714. 
&
d 
A m o u n t of an-
nuity. 
5 u s e 736b, 698 
(b). (c). 
60 Stat. 812. 
2 u s e 72a note. 
Refunds. 
,^i^*\ 
'*B a s i c salary, 
pay or compensa-
tion.»» 
2 u s e 3la. 
Active service in 
armed forces. 
"(c) Section 3A of such Act is amended as follows: 
^
>
^ ^ ^ 
' ::• i 
"(1) Paragraph (3) is amended to read as follows: 
" '(3) No person shull be entitled to receive an annuity as provided 
in this section until he shall have become separated from the service 
after having had at least six years of service as a Member of Congress 
and have attained the age of sixty-two years, except that (A) any 
such Member who shall have had at least five years of service as a 
Member of Congress may, subject to the provisions of section 6 and of 
paragraph (4) of this section, be retired for disability, irrespective of 
age, and be paid an annuity computed in accordance with paragraph 
(5) of this section, an4 (B) any such Member who shall have become 
separated from the service after having had at least ten years of service 
as a Member of Congress and have attained the age of sixty years may 
receive an annuity computed in accordance with paragraph (5) of this 
section reduced by one-fourth of 1 per centum for each full month 
he is under the age of sixty-two years.' 
"(2) Paragraph (5) is amended to read as follows: 
" '(5) Subject to the provisions of section 9 and of subsections (b) 
and (c) of section 4, the annuity of a Member of Congress shall be an 
amount equal to 2i/^ per centum of the average annual basic salary, 
pay, or compensation received by him as a Member of Congress sub-
sequent to the date of enactment of the Legislative Keorganization Act 
of 1946, as amended, multiplied by the sum of his years of service as a 
Member of Congress and his years of active service performed as a 
member of the armed forces of the United States prior to his separa-
tion from service as a Member of Congress, but no such annuity shall 
exceed an amount equal to three-fourths of the basic salary, pay, or 
compensation that he is receiving at the time of such separation from 
service.' 
"(3) Paragraph (6) is amended to read as follows: 
" '(6) In the case of a Member of Congress who becomes separated 
from the service before he completes an aggregate of 20 years of service 
as a Member of Congress, and who is not retired, the total amount de-
ducted from his basic salary, pay, or compensation as a Member of Con-
gress, together with interest at 4 per centum per annum to December 31, 
1947, and 3 per centum per annum thereafter compounded on December 
31 of each year to date of separation shall, upon application therefor, be 
returned to such Member of Congress. No such Member of Congress 
shall thereafter become eligible to receive an annuity as provided in this 
section unless he again becomes a Member of Congress and redeposits 
the amounts so returned with interest at 4 per centum per annum to 
December 31, 1947, and 3 per centum per annum thereafter, com-
pounded on December 31 of each year and covering periods of service 
as a Member of Congress.' 
"(4) Paragraph (10) is amended by inserting before the period at 
the end thereof a semicolon and the following: 'and the term "basic 
salary, pay, or compensation" includes (A) amounts received, for 
periods beginning on or subsequent to the effective date of this 
clause, as expense allowance under section 601 (b) of the Legislative 
Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended, and (B) amounts received 
as such allowance for any period after January 2, 1953, and prior to 
such effective date, if the Member of Congress so elects and makes 
deposit therefor at the rate of $150 per annum together with interest 
thereon at 3 per centum per annum, compounded on December 31 of 
each year and covering periods of service as a Member of Congress; 
and the term "active service performed as a member of the armed 
forces of the United States" means (A) active service performed as a 
member of such forces, during any war or national emergency pro-
claimed by the President or declared by the Congress, by a Member 
of Congress who left or leaves his office for the purpose of performing 
68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 304-MAR. 6, 1954 
23 
such service and (B) any other periods of active service, not to exceed 
an aggregate of five years, performed as a member of such forces, but 
shall not include any such service for which credit is allowed for the 
purposes of retirement or retired pay under any other provision of law, 
including Title I I I of the Army and Air Force Vitalization and 
Retirement Equalization Act of 1948'. 
"(d) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 3 (a) of the 
Act of February 28,1948— 
"(A) subsections (b) and (c) of section 4, and the last sentence 
in section 9 of the Civil Service Retirement Act of May 29, 1930, 
as amended, shall apply to Members of Congress; and 
"(B) subsections (c), (d), (e), (g), and (h) of section 12 of 
such Act shall apply in the case of Members of Congress dying 
on or after the date of enactment of this section. 
Such subsec-
tions shall apply to the widower of any such Member of Congress 
to the same extent and in the same manner as to the widow of any 
such Member of Congress, if such widower shall have been married 
to such Member for at least two years immediately preceding her 
death or is the father of issue by such marriage. 
Such subsection 
(c) shall also apply in the case of any Member of Congress who 
died on or after November 4, 1952, and prior to the date of 
enactment of this subsection, except that in such case no annuity 
shall be payable for any period prior to such date of enactment and 
no annuity shall be payable unless the amount of any lump sum 
death benefit heretofore paid under the Civil Service Retirement 
Act of May 29,1930, as amended, is redeposited in the civil-service 
retirement and disability fund. 
"(2) Section 12 (c) of the Civil Service Retirement Act of May 29, 
1930, as amended, is amended by striking out 'computed as provided 
in section 4 (a) hereof with respect to such officer or employee' in 
paragraphs (1) and (2) and inserting in lieu thereof 'computed as 
provided in section 4 (a), section 4 (g), or section 3A hereof, as the 
case may be, with respect to such officer or employee as if he had retired 
under the disability provisions of this Act'; and by striking out 'sec-
tion 1, 2, or 6' in paragraphs (2) and (3) and inserting in lieu thereof 
'section 1,2,3A, or 6'. 
" (e) Section 13 of the Civil Service Retirement Act of May 29,1930, 
as amended, is amended by inserting before the period at the end of 
the first sentence of the third paragraph thereof a comma and the 
following: 'except that the annuity of an elected officer of the Senate 
or House of Representatives and any annuity granted under the provi-
sions of section 3A shall commence on the day following the day on 
which salary shall cease, provided the person entitled to such annuity 
meets the age and service requirements for annuity at that time'." 
SEC. 2. Except as otherwise provided, the amendments made by this 
Act shall take effect on the first day of the month following the date 
of its enactment. 
Approved March 6, 1954. 
62 Stat. 1087. 
10 u s e 
10 36-
10361. 
62 Stat. 49. 
5 u s e 693-1 note. 
5 u s e 698, 736b. 
W i d o w or wi*' 
OTwer. 
5 u s e 724. 
5 u s e 724. 
5 u s e 698; ante, 
p. 22. 
5 u s e 691, 715, 
693-1, 710-714. 
e omme nee me nt. 
5 u s e 718. 
Ante, p. 22. 
Effective date. 
Public Law 304 
CHAPTER 60 
AN ACT 
Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending June 30,1954, and 
for other purposes. 
March 6, 1954 
[H. R. 7996] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following me^n^aVAppr'^^lal 
sums are appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise "°" ^'=*' 1^54.