80TH CONGRESS 2d Session } SENATE { REPORT No. 1537 EXTENDING THE BENEFITS OF SECTION 1 (C) OF THE CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENT ACT OF MAY 29, 1930, AS AMENDED, TO EMPLOYEES WHO WERE INVOLUNTARILY SEPARATED DURING THE PERIOD FROM JULY 1, 1945, TO JULY 1, 1947, AFTER HAVING RENDERED 25 YEARS OF SERVICE BUT PRIOR TO ATTAINMENT OF AGE 55 JUNE 8 (legislative day, JUNE 1), 1948.-Ordered to be printed Mr. FLANDERS, from the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 2279] The Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, to whom was referred the bill (S. 2279) to make retroactive to July 1, 1945, the involuntary separation benefit provision of the Retirement Act (sec. 1c), having considered the same, report favorably thereon and recommend that the bill, as amended, do pass. GENERAL STATEMENT The new retirement act, Public Law 426, provides that any employee separated involuntarily after June 30, 1947, with 25 or more years of service will be eligible to receive an immediate annuity regardless of age, but if the employee is under age 60 the annuity will be reduced 3 percent for each year he is under this age. S. 2279 changes the date from June 30, 1947, to June 30, 1945, and thereby includes employees who lost their jobs through no fault of their own during this period and who were not eligible for retirement benefits. The number of employees involved has been variously estimated up to 1,000. Under the bill, annuities would be computed under the old retirement law, reduced 3 percent for each year the employee was under age 60 at the time of his separation from service, and then increased 25 percent not to exceed $300 as of April 1, 1948. The computations are involved and it is likely that few, if any, of the employees involved would understand fully just what would be available to them. Retroactive payments would be made back to the date of separation. The Civil Service Commission approves this bill and reports that there is no objection on the part of the Bureau of the Budget. Under the amendment, annuities would be determined under the new law, as though the persons involved were being involuntarily separated as of the effective date of this bill, based, however, on actual service rendered. Payments would not be retroactive. The staff of the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service approves the amendment. The Civil Service Commission offers no opposition to the amendment. The purpose of the amendment is to make the enacting clause more understandable and to include a number of persons who were separated from Government service at the height of cut-back in personnel between July 1, 1945, and June 30, 1947, and whose jobs were of the extrasensitive variety, leaving scant opportunity for reemployment or for placement in industry in jobs of a nonwar nature. Following are comments from the Civil Service Commission: Further reference is made to your letter of March 11, 1948, requesting_report on S. 2279, a bill to extend the benefits of section 1 (c) of the Civil Service Retirement Act of May 29, 1930, as amended, to employees who were involuntarily separated during the period from July 1, 1945, to July 1, 1947, after having rendered 25 years of service but prior to attainment of age 55. Section 1 (c) of the Civil Service Retirement Act of May 29, 1930, as amended February 28, 1948, authorizes the allowance of annuity benefits to employees who have served 25 years or more and are involuntarily separated after July 1, 1947. The bill would make this provision retroactive to July 1, 1945, so as to cover persons separated between that date and July 1, 1947, under the conditions indicated. The annuity in each such case would be reduced by one-fourth of 1 percent for each full month (3 percent per year) the employee is under age 60 at date of separation. The amendment to the Retirement Act approved August 8, 1946, provided for the retirement on annuity of employees involuntarily separated after 25 years' service and after attaining age 55, the annuity to be reduced by one-sixth of 1 percent for each full month (2 percent per year) the employee was under 60 or 62, depending upon length of service. This provision of law was in effect from July 1, 1945, to June 30, 1947. A number of employees who had completed 25 years were separated during this period in the reduction-in-force program but, because of not having attained age 55 at the time, were entitled only to annuity under section 7 of the Retirement Act which is not as liberal as the act of August 8, 1946, referred to. There is considerable merit in this proposal since the employees involved were separated through no fault of their own after long and faithful service for the Government. The Commission would interpose no objection to the passage of S. 2279. In connection with duplicate bill, H. R. 5715, the Bureau of the Budget advised that there would be no objection to the submission of a similar report. By direction of the Commission: Very sincerely yours, O HARRY B. MITCHELL, President. 80TH CONGRESS 2d Session } SENATE { REPORT No. 1538 AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF FREE PASSES TO TIME INSPECTORS OF RAILROADS JUNE 8 (legislative day, JUNE 1), 1948.-Ordered to be printed Mr. MOORE, from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 2192] The Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (S. 2192) to amend the Interstate Commerce Act so as to permit the issuance of free passes to agents of carriers subject to part I of such act, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. The purpose of this bill, as amended by your committee, is to authorize railroads to grant free passes to railroad time inspectors. The present law allows common carriers subject to part I of the Interstate Commerce Act to issue free passes for its employees, officers, surgeons, physicians, and attorneys at law, and the families of any of the foregoing. Time inspectors would be included in this group by inserting the words "time inspectors" between the words. "officers" and "surgeons" in paragraph (7) of section 1 of the act. O 80TH CONGRESS 2d Session SENATE {No. 1539 REPORT AMENDING THE CANAL ZONE CODE JUNE 8 (legislative day, JUNE 1), 1948.-Ordered to be printed Mr. MORSE, from the Committee on Armed Services, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany S. 2829) The Committee on Armed Services, having had under consideration the maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, report the following bill (S. 2829) to amend the Canal Zone Code, and for other purposes, and recommend that it do pass. PURPOSE OF THE BILL The general purpose of the bill is to establish appropriate and adequate authority in substantive legislation to support operations now conducted by the Panama Canal and procedures now followed, and the appropriations of funds for such operations and procedures. The draft of legislation was prepared by the Panama Canal pursuant to Budget Bulletin 1944-45:10 of March 28, 1945, which required the heads of executive departments and establishments to review their appropriation language and submit proposed legislation necessary to support appropriation provisions required on a permanent basis for the operations of such establishments. The five sections of the bill amend the Canal Zone Code and deal with such subjects as acquisition or construction of structures, equipment and improvements; claims for losses of or damages to property; disaster relief; conduct of business operations; special training of employees; furnishing of prosthetic appliances for and making lumpsum payments to employees injured prior to September 7, 1916; and clothing and money for discharged prisoners. The bill would combine and restate as basic law, with only minor modifications, authority which has heretofore been found either in annual appropriation acts or in substantive legislation and would provide a definite basis for procedures which have been followed by the Panama Canal for many years, with full knowledge of the committees of Congress. |