How long does a president of the United States have Secret Service protection once he leaves office? What about the spouse and the adult children?

The Secret Service provides lifetime protection to former presidents and their spouses, unless the couples decline. And the agency will protect the minor children of former presidents until they turn 16.

Presidents were authorized to receive lifetime Secret Service protection from 1965 until the mid-1990s, when Congress limited protection to 10 years for chief executives serving after Jan. 1, 1997.

President Obama in 2013 signed the Former President Protection Act of 2012, which reinstated lifelong protection to former presidents and their spouses.

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Online: www.secretservice.gov.

Banks must work to ID laundering

I recently made a deposit to my bank account of many years, a small part of which was cash (less than $100), using the bank’s approved printed deposit form and was asked for ID.

Is requesting ID for such a deposit required by that particular bank or all banks?

Without the name of the bank involved, The Informer can’t offer a specific reply.

But it can note that in an effort to prevent money laundering — especially among drug traffickers, who’ve been known to deposit small amounts in one place and withdraw the cash elsewhere — several banks have instituted policies that require account holders to present identification with each deposit and have banned deposits from people not listed on an account.

“Criminals have long used money laundering schemes to conceal or ‘clean’ the source of fraudulently obtained or stolen funds.

“Money laundering poses significant risks to the safety and soundness of the U.S. financial industry,” reads a statement on the website of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

“With the advent of terrorists who employ money-laundering techniques to fund their operations, the risk expands to encompass the safety and security of the nation.

“Through sound operations, banks play an important role in helping investigative and regulatory agencies identify money-laundering entities and take appropriate action.”

The OCC says banks must do the following, under the Bank Secrecy Act and other laws:

“Establish effective BSA compliance programs.”

“Establish effective customer due diligence systems and monitoring programs.”

“Screen against Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and other government lists.”

“Establish an effective suspicious activity monitoring and reporting process.”

“Develop risk-based anti-money laundering programs.”

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Online: https://occ.gov.

Two hotels going up on Prien Lake Road

I would like to know what the construction is on Prien Lake Road east of Hampton Inn and west of Lake Street right there by the bridge. There’s much construction going on, and I’m interested to know what it is.

Lake Charles Planning Director Mike Huber said workers are building two hotels.

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The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.