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"(b) If the deceased should be survived by a widow or widower entitled to an annuity under an election made pursuant to the provisions of section 4, there shall, on the death of the widow or widower, be paid to such person or persons as the deceased may have designated by a writing filed with the Board prior to his death, or if there be no designation, to the legal representative of the deceased, the amount, if any, by which 4 per centum of the aggregate compensation earned by the deceased after December 31, 1936, exceeds the sum of the total of the annuity payments actually made to the deceased plus the total of the annuity payments actually made to the widow or widower under an election made pursuant to the provisions of section 4 and under the provisions of section 3 (f), plus the total of the annuity payments due the widow or widower but not yet paid at death. If the person or persons designated to receive the death benefit do not survive the widow or widower, the death benefit shall be paid to the legal representative of the deceased.

"In computing the aggregate compensation for the purpose of this section, no part of any month's earnings in excess of $300 shall be recognized.

"PENSIONS TO INDIVIDUALS ON PENSION OR GRATUITY ROLLS OF EMPLOYERS

"SEC. 6. (a) Beginning July 1, 1937, each individual then on the pension or gratuity roll of an employer by reason of his employment, who was on such roll on March 1, 1937, shall be paid on July 1, 1937, and on the 1st day of each calendar month thereafter during his life, a pension at the same rate as the pension or gratuity granted to him by the employer without diminution by reason of a general reduction or readjustment made subsequent to December 31, 1930, and applicable to pensioners of the employer: Provided, however, That no pension payable under this section shall exceed $120 monthly: And provided further, That no individual on the pension or gratuity roll of an employer not conducting the principal part of its business in the United States shall be paid a pension under this section unless, in the judgment of the Board, he was, on March 1, 1937, carried on the pension or gratuity roll as a United States pensioner.

"(b) No individual covered by this section who was on July 1, 1937, eligible for an annuity under this Act or the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935, based in whole or in part on service rendered prior to January 1, 1937, shall receive a pension payment under this section subsequent to the payment due on October 1, 1937, or due on the 1st day of the month in which the application for an annuity of such individual has been awarded and certified by the Board, whichever of the two dates is earlier. The annuity claims of such individuals who receive pension payments under this section shall be adjudicated in the same manner and with the same effect as if no pension payments had been made: Provided, however, That no such individual shall be entitled to receive both a pension under this section and an annuity under this Act or the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935, and in the event pension payments have been made to any such individual in any month in which such individual is entitled to an annuity under this Act or the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935, the difference between the amounts paid as pensions and the amounts due as annuities shall be adjusted in accordance with such rules and regulations as the Board may deem just and reasonable.

"(c) The pension paid under this section shall not be considered to be in substitution for that part of the pension or gratuity from the employer which is in excess of a pension or gratuity at the rate of $120 a month.

"SEC. 7. Nothing in this Act or the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935 shall be taken as restricting or discouraging payment by employers to retired employees of pensions or gratuities in addition to the annuities or pensions paid to such employees under such Acts, nor shall such Acts be taken as terminating any trust heretofore created for the payment of such pensions or gratuities.

"CONCLUSIVENESS OF RETURNS OF COMPENSATION AND OF FAILURE TO MAKE RETURNS OF COMPENSATION

"SEC. 8. Employers shall file with the Board, in such manner and form and at such times as the Board by rules and regulations may prescribe, returns under oath of monthly compensation of employees, and, if the Board shall so require, shall furnish employees with statements of their monthly compensation as reported to the Board. Any such return shall be conclusive as to the amount of compensation earned by an employee during each month covered by the return, and the fact that no return was made of the compensation claimed to be earned by an employee during a particular calendar month shall be taken as conclusive that no compensation was earned by such employee during that month, unless the error in the amount of compensation returned in the one case, or the failure to make return of the compensation in the other case, is called to the attention of the Board within four years after the last date on which return of the compensation was required to be made.

"ERRONEOUS PAYMENTS

"SEO. 9. (a) If the Board finds that at any time more or less than the correct amount of any annuity or pension has theretofore been paid to any individual under this Act or the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935, then, under regulations made by the Board, proper adjustments shall be made in connection with subsequent payments

under such Acts to the same individual.

"(b) There shall be no recovery of payments of annuities, death benefits, or pensions from any person who, in the judgment of the Board, is without fault and if, in the judgment of the Board, such recovery would be against equity and good conscience. No disbursing officer shall be held liable for any amount paid by him to any person where the recovery of such amount is waived under this section.

"RETIREMENT BOARD
"Personnel

"SEO. 10. (a) There is hereby established as an independent agency in the executive branch of the Government a Railroad Retirement Board, to be composed of three members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Each member shall hold office for a term of five years, except that any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his predecessor was appointed shall be appointed for the remainder of the term and the terms of office of the members first

taking office after the enactment date shall expire, as designated by the President, one at the end of two years, one at the end of three years, and one at the end of four years after the enactment date. One member shall be appointed from recommendations made by representatives of the employees and one member shall be appointed from recommendations made by representatives of carriers, in both cases as the President shall direct, so as to provide representation on the Board satisfactory to the largest number, respectively, of employees and carriers concerned. One member, who shall be the chairman of the Board, shall be appointed initially for a term of two years without recommendation by either carriers or employees and shall not be in the employment of or be pecuniarily or otherwise interested in any employer or organization of employees. Vacancies in the Board shall not impair the powers or affect the duties of the Board or of the remaining members of the Board, of whom a majority of those in office shall constitute a quorum, for the transaction of business. Each of said members shall receive a salary of $10,000 per year, together with necessary traveling expenses and subsistence expenses, or perdiem allowance in lieu thereof, while away from the principal office of the Board on official duties.

"Duties

"(b) 1. The Board shall have and exercise all the duties and powers necessary to administer this Act and the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935. The Board shall take such steps as may be necessary to enforce such Acts and make awards and certify payments. Decisions by the Board upon issues of law and fact relating to pensions, annuities, or death benefits shall not be subject to review by any other administrative or accounting officer, agent, or employee of the United States.

"2. If the Board finds that an applicant is entitled to an annuity under the provisions of this Act or the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935 then the Board shall make an award fixing the amount of the annuity and shall certify the payment thereof as hereinafter provided; otherwise the application shall be denied.

"3. The Board shall from time to time certify to the Secretary of the Treasury the name and address of each individual entitled to receive a payment, the amount of such payment, and the time at which it should be made, and the Secretary of the Treasury through the Division of Disbursements of the Treasury Department, and prior to audit by the General Accounting Office, shall make payment in accordance with the certification by the Board.

"4. The Board shall establish and promulgate rules and regulations to provide for the adjustment of all controversial matters arising in the administration of such Acts, with power as a Board or through any member or designated subordinate thereof, to require and compel the attendance of witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, and make all necessary investigations in any matter involving annuities or other payments and shall maintain such offices, provide such equipment, furnishings, supplies, services, and facilities, and employ such individuals and provide for their compensation and expenses as may be necessary for the proper discharge of its functions. In the employment of such individuals under the civil service laws and rules the Board shall give preference over all others to individuals who have had experience in railroad service, if, in the judgment of the Board,

they possess the qualifications necessary for the proper discharge of the duties of the positions to which they are to be appointed. All rules, regulations, or decisions of the Board shall require the approval of at least two members except as provided in subdivision 5 of this subsection and they shall be entered upon the records of the Board, which shall be a public record. Notice of a decision of the Board, or of an employee thereof, shall be communicated to the applicant in writing within thirty days after such decision shall have been made. The Board shall gather, keep, compile, and publish in convenient form such records and data as may be necessary to assure proper administration of such Acts. The Board shall have power to require all employers and employees and any officer, board, commission, or other agency of the United States to furnish such information and records as shall be necessary for the administration of such Acts. The several district courts of the United States and the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia shall have jurisdiction upon suit by the Board to compel obedience to any order of the Board issued pursuant to this section. The orders, writs, and processes of the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia in such suits may run and be served anywhere in the United States. The Board shall make an annual report to the President of the United States to be submitted to Congress. Witnesses summoned before the Board shall be paid the same fees and mileage that are paid witnesses in the courts of the United States. "5. The Board is authorized to delegate to any of its employees the power to make decisions on applications for annuities or death benefits in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by the Board: Provided, however, That any person aggrieved by a decision so made shall have the right to appeal to the Board.

"COURT JURISDICTION

"SEO. 11. An employee or other person aggrieved may apply to the district court of any district wherein the Board may have established an office or to the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia to compel the Board (1) to set aside an action or decision of the Board claimed to be in violation of a legal right of the applicant or (2) to take action or to make a decision necessary for the enforcement of a legal right of the applicant. Such court shall have jurisdiction to entertain such application and to grant appropriate relief. The decision of the Board with respect to an annuity, pension, or death benefit shall not be subject to review by any court unless suit is commenced within one year after the decision shall have been entered upon the records of the Board and communicated to the person claiming the annuity, pension, or death benefit. The jurisdiction herein specifically conferred upon the Federal courts shall not be held exclusive of any jurisdiction otherwise possessed by such courts to entertain actions at law or suits in equity in aid of the enforcement of rights or obligations arising under the provisions of this Act or the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935.

"EXEMPTION

"SEC. 12. No annuity or pension payment shall be assignable or be subject to any tax or to garnishment, attachment, or other legal process under any circumstances whatsoever, nor shall the payment thereof be anticipated.

"PENALTIES

"SEO. 13. Any officer or agent of an employer, as the word employer' is hereinbefore defined, or any employee acting in his own behalf, or any individual whether or not of the character hereinbefore defined, who shall willfully fail or refuse to make any report or furnish any information required, in accordance with the provisions of section 10 (b) 4, by the Board in the administration of this Act or the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935, or who shall knowingly make or cause to be made any false or fraudulent statement or report when a statement or report is required to be made for the purpose of such Acts, or who shall knowingly make or aid in making any false or fraudulent statement or claim for the purpose of causing an award or payment under such Acts, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or by imprisonment not exceeding one year.

"SEPARABILITY

"SEO. 14. If any provision of this Act or the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, should be held invalid, the remainder of such Act, or the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.

"RAILROAD RETIREMENT ACCOUNT

"SEC. 15. (a) There is hereby created an account in the Treasury of the United States to be known as the Railroad Retirement Account. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the account for each fiscal year, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1937, as an annual premium an amount sufficient, with a reasonable margin for contingencies, to provide for the payment of all annuities, pensions, and death benefits in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935. Such amount shall be based on such tables of mortality as the Railroad Retirement Board shall from time to time adopt, and on an interest rate of 8 per centum per annum compounded annually. The Railroad Retirement Board shall submit annually to the Bureau of the Budget an estimate of the appropriation to be made to the account.

"(b) At the request and direction of the Board, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest such portion of the amounts credited to the account as, in the judgment of the Board, is not immediately required for the payment of annuities, pensions, and death benefits in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935 in interest-bearing obligations of the United States or in obligations guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the United States. For such purpose such obligations may be acquired on original issue at par or by purchase of outstanding obligations at the market price. The purposes for which obligations of the United States may be issued under the Second Liberty Bond Act, as amended, are hereby extended to authorize the issuance at par of special obligations exclusively to the account. Such special obligations shall bear interest at the rate of 3 per centum per annum. Obligations other than such special obligations

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