Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 29.djvu/660

This page needs to be proofread.

630 FIFTY-FOURTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. C11. 382. 1897. Mm-ch 3_ Iggy_ CHAP. 382.-An Act Regulating fraternal beneficial associations in the District ·—-————————-· of Columbia. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United _Di¤tri¤t or Colum- States of America in Congress assembled, That a fraternal beneficial

  • %,.,,,,,,,1 ,,.,,,,,;,,,1 association is hereby declared to be a corporation, society, order, or

¤¤¤¤¤i¤*é·>:§· voluntary association, formed or organized and carried on for the sole P `°°' benefit of its members and their beneficiaries, and not for profit, having a lodge system, with ritualistic form of work and representative form of government, making provision for the payment of benefits in case of Disability benefits. death. Each such association may make provision for the payment of benefits in case of sickness, temporary or permanent physical disability, Pmuot. either as the result of disease, accident, or old age: Provided, That the ·*¤° ““‘“‘· period in life at which payment of physical disability benefits on account of old age commences shall not be under seventy years, or the age of expectancy from the time of entering, subject to their compliance with F¤¤¢¤· its laws. Any such association may create and maintain a reserve, emergency, or benefit fund in accordance with its laws. Any such association having a reserve, emergency, or benefit fund, may, in addition to the benefits hereinbefore named, pay withdrawal benefits, not exceeding the contributions of such member, to a member unable or unwilling to continue membership, provided such membership shall continue not less than three successive years. Such association may also, after ten years of membership, apply its funds and accumulations as its laws provide, or the association and members agree. The fund from which the payment of such benefits shall be made, and the fund from which the expenses of such association shall be defrayed, shall be derived hom assessments, dues, and other payments collected from its Dwhbumnm members or otherwise. Payment of death benefits shall be to the families, heirs, blood relatives, aifianced husband, or aflianced wife of, Exemption rm in- or to persons dependent upon the member. Such associations shall be '“"“‘°° "“· governed by this Act, and shall be exempt from the provisions of insurance laws of the United States relating to the District of Colum- · bia, and no law hereafter passed shall apply to them unless they be oumsmiing agree expressly designated therein: Prorided, however, That the fact that “‘°‘**‘· any such association has outstanding agreements with its members for the payment of benefits other than those hereinbefore specified, if it is making no new contracts of that character and is retiring those already yisting, shall not exclude such association from the operation of this ct. Association eta- Sec. 2. That all such associations coming within the description as

    • ¤¤°**- set forth in section one of this Act, organized under the laws of the

United States relating to said District, or any State, country, province, or Territory, and now doing business in said District, may continue rmm. such business: Provided, That they hereafter comply with the provi- ·*““"*"’°P°’”· sions of this Act, regulating annual reports and the designation of the assessor of said District as the person upon whom process may be served as hereinafter provided. nsgamy or imap Sec. 3. That any such association coming within the description as °'”“P“'“°“· set forth in section one of this Act, organized under the law of any State, country, province, or Territory, and not now doing business in said District, shall be admitted to do business within said District when it shall have filed with the assessor a duly certified copy of its charter and articles of association, and a copy of its laws, certified to by its secretary or corresponding officer, together with an appointment of the assessor of said District as the person upon whom process may be Prawn, served as hereinafter provided: Provided, That such association shall ,hj,‘}§,'f°"°’ *° "° be shown to be authorized to do business in the State, country, province, or Territory in which it is incorporated or organized, in case the laws of such State, country, province, or Territory shall provide for such authorization; and in case the laws of such State, country, prov. ince, or Territory do not provide for any formal authorization to do business on the part of any such association, then such association