THIRTIETH CONGRESS—FIRST SESSION.
H. R. 433.
(No Report.)
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
April 26, 1848.
Read twice, and committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
state of the Union.
Mr. T. Butler King, from the Committee on Naval Affairs,
reported the following bill:
A BILL
To provide for a retired list in the naval service.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled
, That, from and after the passage of this act,
any navy officer who shall have been on active duty in
the navy for a period of thirty years and upwards, who
shall not have been punished by sentence of a court
martial, may, at his own request, and with the consent of
the President of the United States, be permitted honor-
ably to retire from active service in the navy, on full pay,
in consideration of his long and faithful service to the
country: Provided, That, in the event of war, all officers
so retiring may, at the discretion of the President of the
United States, be re-called into active service.

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Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That any com-
missioned officers and masters who have been less than
thirty years on active duty in the navy shall, at their own
request, and with the consent of the President of the
United States, be placed on a retired list, out of the line
of promotion, at half duty pay, with an addition of ten
per cent. thereto for every five years of active service at
sea in the navy: Provided, That in no case shall the
pay of any such officer exceed the leave of absence pay
of his grade: And provided, also, That every officer so
retiring shall, in time of war, be liable to be called into
active service in the grade from which he retired.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That it shall be
the duty of the Secretary of the Navy to appoint a board
of commissioned officers of the navy, of not more than
thirteen nor less the nine in number, who shall assem-
ble in the city of Washington within one year after the
passage of this act, and once a year thereafter, whose
duty it shall be to designate to the Secretary of the Navy
such officers as, in their judgment, the good of the naval
service requires to be placed out of the line of promo-
tion; and it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the
Navy, with the consent of the President of the United
States, to place all such officers on the furlough list, at
half the leave of absence pay of their respective grades.

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Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That it shall be
lawful for courts martial, in awarding punishments here-
after, to sentence officers to be placed on the furlough
list, at a rate of pay not exceeding half the leave of
absence pay of the grade to which such officer shall
belong. And all vacancies created in the respective
grades of officers, by the operations of this act, shall be
filled by promotion.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That it shall be
lawful for the Secretary of the Navy to grant leave of
absence, not exceeding three years, to commanders,
lieutenants, and passed midshipmen who may desire to
enter the merchant service: Provided, They remain,
during such leave of absence, employed at sea, or in
making voyages in said service.

Printed Document, 3 page(s), Box Y543-41, 2, RG 287, Entry 116: Records of the Superintendent of Documents, Publications of the United States Government, Bills and Resolutions, House and Senate, Thirtieth Congress, 1847-1849, NACP , Â