Volume 73 · 701
Public Law 86–377
To provide additional civilian positions for the Department of Defense for purposes of scientific research and development relating to the national defense, to improve the management of the activities of such Department, and for other purposes.
Approved September 23, 1959
Statutory text
AN ACT
To provide additional civilian positions for the Department of Defense for purposes of scientific research and development relating to the national defense, to improve the management of the activities of such Department, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That
section 505 of the Classification Act of 1949, as amended (5 U.S.C. 1105), is amended by adding the following new subsection at the end thereof:
“(j) The Secretary of Defense is authorized, subject to the standards and procedures prescribed by this Act, to place a total of three hundred seventy-two positions in the Department of Defense in grades 16, 17, and 18 of the General Schedule.”
The total number of positions authorized by section 505(b) of the Classification Act of 1949, as amended (5 U.S.C. 1105(b)), to be placed in grades 16,17, and 18 of the General Schedule of such Act at any time shall be deemed to have been reduced by the number of positions in such grades allocated to the Department of Defense immediately prior to the date of enactment of this Act. The respective numbers or positions authorized by such section 505(b) to be placed in grades 17 and 18 of such schedule at any one time shall be deemed to nave been reduced by the respective numbers of positions in such grades allocated to the Department of Defense immediately prior to the date of enactment of this Act.
Nothing contained in this section shall affect any position existing under authority of section 505(b) of the Classification Act of 1949, as in effect immediately prior to the date of enactment of this Act, the compensation attached to any such position, and any incumbent thereof, his appointment thereto, and his right to receive the compensation attached thereto, until appropriate action is taken under authority of subsection (j) of section 505 of the Classification Act of 1949 as contained in the amendment made by subsection (a) of this section.
Sec. 2.
Section 1581(a) of title 10, United States Code, as modified
by section 12(a) of the Federal Employees Salary Increase Act of 1958 (72 Stat. 213), and as amended by section 3 of the Act of May 29, 1959 (73 Stat. 63; Public Law 86–36), is amended to read as follows:
“(a) The Secretary of Defense may establish not more than four
Research and development.
hundred fifty civilian positions in the Department of Defense to carry out research and development relating to the national defense, military medicine, and other activities of the Department of Defense that require the services of specially qualified scientists or professional personnel.”
Sec. 3.
The first sentence of section 1582 of title 10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: “The Secretary of Defense
Report to Congress.
shall report to Congress not later than February 1 of each year on the number of positions established under section 1581 of this title during the immediately preceding calendar year.”
Sec. 4.
Section 3(a) of the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Act of 1954 is repealed.
Section 5(a) of such Act is amended by striking out the words “under age sixty-five”.
Section 6 of such Act is amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 6.
(a) Each policy purchased under this Act shall contain a
Life insurance.
Termination.
provision, 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.
“(b) If upon such date as the insurance would otherwise cease the employee retires on an immediate annuity and (1) his retirement is for disability or (2) he has completed twelve years of creditable service, as determined by the Commission, his life insurance only may, under conditions determined by the Commission, be continued without cost to him, but the amount of such 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 or retires, whichever is later, subject to minimum amounts prescribed by the Commission, but not less than 25 per centum of the insurance in force preceding the first such reduction. Periods of honorable active service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard of the United States shall be credited toward the required twelve years provided the employee has completed at least five years of civilian service.
“(c) If upon such date as the insurance would otherwise cease the employee is receiving benefits under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act because of disease or injury to himself, his life insurance may, as provided in subsection (b), be continued during the period he is in receipt of such benefits and held by the United States Department of Labor to be unable to return to duty.”
The amendments made by subsections (a), (b), and (c) shall
Effective date.
take effect as of August 17, 1954, except that (1) they shall not be applicable in any case in which the employee’s death or retirement occurred prior to the date of enactment of this Act, and (2) nothing therein shall be construed to require salary withholdings for any period prior to the first day of the first pay period which begins after the date of enactment of this Act.
Approved September 23, 1959.