A bill to amend chapter 83 of title 5, United States Code, to discontinue civil service annuity payments for periods of employment as a justice or judge of the United States, and for other purposes.
Public Law 96-504 · H.R. 2583 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Dec 5, 1980 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Gladys Spellman (D-MD-5)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
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.
Discontinues payment of a civil service pension annuity to an annuitant who becomes employed as a justice or judge of the United States. Resumes such payments in the same amount upon resignation or retirement from such reemployment.
Allows such former employees or former Members of Congress, any time before resigning or retiring from active service as a judge or justice, to apply for and be paid the amount by which their lump-sum credit exceeds the total annuity paid to them.
Permits present or former justices or judges who voided the right to receive an annuity, having been refunded the lump-sum credit, to redeposit such refund and thereby reestablish eligibility to receive an annuity. Authorizes any surviving spouse of such a judge or justice to redeposit such refund and receive both: (1) the annuity to which the judge or justice would have been entitled; and (2) any survivor annuity the judge or justice could have provided under the provisions of law in effect at the time of separation from the service on which title to the annuity is based.
Requires that a surviving spouse, other than a surviving spouse who remarried, of a justice who died before October 19, 1976, shall be paid an annuity of $20,000 per year from the Judicial Survivors' Annuities Fund as if such justice had elected to deposit the amount required to provide annuities through such Fund. Requires such an annuity to be increased to reflect cost-of-living increases as any other annuity payable from such Fund is increased.
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to determine and deposit the amount necessary to offset any resulting deficiency in the Fund.
Repeals provisions of Federal law requiring the Administrative Office of the United States to pay a $10,000 annuity to the surviving widow of a justice who died on or before August 20, 1972.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Post Office and Civil Service Committee · House · referred to, reported by
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. 16 actions.
- Dec 5, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-504.
- Nov 26, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Nov 25, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Nov 21, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendment.
- Oct 1, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Aug 18, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Oct 30, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Oct 29, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- Oct 17, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Appropriations Committee
- Sep 21, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Appropriations Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
- Mar 1, 1979CommitteeCommittee · 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.