Thrift Savings Plan Technical Amendments Act of 1990
Public Law 101-335 · H.R. 2514 · 101st Congress · began in the House
Signed by George H. W. Bush (R) on Jul 17, 1990 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY-7)
Cosponsors (2): Rep. Benjamin Gilman, Rep. Constance Morella
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Thrift Savings Plan Technical Amendments Act of 1990 - Requires the Executive Director of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to prescribe regulations requiring employing agencies to pay the Thrift Savings Fund amounts representing lost earnings resulting from such agencies' errors relating to the Thrift Savings Plan. Provides that if the error involves an employing agency's failure to deduct contributions from an individual's basic pay, such regulations shall not provide for the payment of any lost earnings which would be attributable to: (1) such contributions; or (2) any related contributions that the employing agency is not required to make up. Permits such regulations to: (1) provide for exceptions from this Act's requirements to the extent that the correction of an error is not administratively feasible; and (2) require an employing agency to reimburse the Thrift Savings Fund for costs incurred by the Fund in implementing corrections of employing agency errors. Provides that amounts required to be paid by an employing agency shall be paid from the agency's salary appropriation or fund.
Removes restrictions on Thrift Savings Plan participants under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) that, respectively: (1) limit their investments entirely to the Government Securities Investment Fund; and (2) limit the amount of their investments in the Government Securities Investment Fund.
Removes restrictions that limit the investments of judges, magistrates, and other officials participating in the Thrift Savings Plan to the Government Securities Fund.
Exempts from State and local premium taxes the annuities purchased under the Thrift Savings Plan.
Substitutes the date of purchase of an annuity for the date on which it commences for purposes of the: (1) election of benefits; (2) method of payment; and (3) protection for spouses and former spouses. Revises the deadlines by which: (1) modification of the date for commencement of deferred annuity payments must be made; and (2) the balance in the annuitants' account shall be expended for purchase of an annuity contract.
Requires the Executive Director of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to pay Thrift account balances of $3,500 or less to FERS and CSRS participants who separate from the Government before becoming entitled to a deferred annuity or who are entitled to an immediate or deferred annuity upon such separation but fail to elect one of the benefit options available. Provides for the payment of Thrift account balances of $3,500 or less to Supreme Court justices, judges, magistrates, and bankruptcy judges participating in the Thrift Savings Plan. Requires the Director to prescribe regulations providing for such a payout for persons not covered specifically by this Act.
Allows career Senior Executive Service (SES) employees who are appointed to non-SES positions in the executive branch whose salaries are linked to the Executive Schedule to elect to retain SES benefits. (Currently such an election is only available to career SES employees who are appointed to Executive Schedule positions by the President.) Directs the Office of Personnel Management to prescribe regulations governing such an election.
Repeals a termination date to make permanent the indemnification of the fiduciaries of the Thrift Investment Board and the revisions to fiduciary responsibilities and liabilities in managing the Thrift Savings Fund that were to expire on December 31, 1990.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Post Office and Civil Service Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Compensation and Employee Benefits Subcommittee

Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 20 actions.
- Jul 17, 1990Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 101-335.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jul 6, 1990PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Jun 27, 1990FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Jun 7, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- May 1, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Apr 25, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
- Apr 24, 1990FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Ackerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Apr 19, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
- Mar 8, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
- Mar 6, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Compensation and Employee Benefits Subcommittee of the House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Compensation and Employee Benefits Subcommittee of the House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
- Jul 25, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Compensation and Employee Benefits Subcommittee of the House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
- Jun 5, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Compensation and Employee Benefits Subcommittee of the House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
- May 31, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.