[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1825 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1825

 To amend title 36, United States Code, to grant a Federal charter to 
  the American Military Retirees Association, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 8, 2011

  Mr. Nelson of Florida introduced the following bill; which was read 
          twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 36, United States Code, to grant a Federal charter to 
  the American Military Retirees Association, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. GRANT OF FEDERAL CHARTER TO AMERICAN MILITARY RETIREES 
              ASSOCIATION.

    (a) Grant of Charter.--Part B of subtitle II of title 36, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after chapter 1405 the following 
new chapter:

         ``CHAPTER 1406--AMERICAN MILITARY RETIREES ASSOCIATION

``Sec.
``140601. Organization.
``140602. Purposes.
``140603. Membership.
``140604. Governing body.
``140605. Powers.
``140606. Restrictions.
``140607. Tax-exempt status required as condition of charter.
``140608. Records and inspection.
``140609. Service of process.
``140610. Liability for acts of officers and agents.
``140611. Annual report.
``140612. Definition.
``Sec. 140601. Organization
    ``(a) Federal Charter.--American Military Retirees Association (in 
this chapter, the `corporation'), a nonprofit organization that meets 
the requirements for a veterans service organization under section 
501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is organized under 
the laws of the State of New York, is a federally chartered 
corporation.
    ``(b) Expiration of Charter.--If the corporation does not comply 
with the provisions of this chapter, the charter granted by subsection 
(a) shall expire.
``Sec. 140602. Purposes
    ``(a) General.--The purposes of the corporation are as provided in 
its bylaws and articles of incorporation and include--
            ``(1) encouraging military retirees to band together to 
        protect earned benefits by educating on benefits available; and
            ``(2) advocating for the protection of earned benefits 
        through active monitoring of legislation in Congress and the 
        policies and proposals of the Department of Defense and the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs.
``Sec. 140603. Membership
    ``Eligibility for membership in the corporation, and the rights and 
privileges of members of the corporation, are as provided in the bylaws 
of the corporation.
``Sec. 140604. Governing body
    ``(a) Board of Directors.--The composition of the board of 
directors of the corporation, and the responsibilities of the board, 
are as provided in the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the 
corporation.
    ``(b) Officers.--The positions of officers of the corporation, and 
the election of the officers, are as provided in the articles of 
incorporation and bylaws.
``Sec. 140605. Powers
    ``The corporation has only those powers provided in its bylaws and 
articles of incorporation filed in each State in which it is 
incorporated.
``Sec. 140606. Restrictions
    ``(a) Stock and Dividends.--The corporation may not issue stock or 
declare or pay a dividend.
    ``(b) Distribution of Income or Assets.--The income or assets of 
the corporation may not inure to the benefit of, or be distributed to, 
a director, officer, or member of the corporation during the life of 
the charter granted by this chapter. This subsection does not prevent 
the payment of reasonable compensation to an officer or employee of the 
corporation or reimbursement for actual necessary expenses in amounts 
approved by the board of directors.
    ``(c) Loans.--The corporation may not make a loan to a director, 
officer, employee, or member of the corporation.
    ``(d) Claim of Governmental Approval or Authority.--The corporation 
may not claim congressional approval or the authority of the United 
States Government for any of its activities.
    ``(e) Corporate Status.--The corporation shall maintain its status 
as a corporation incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of 
Virginia.
``Sec. 140607. Tax-exempt status required as condition of charter
    ``If the corporation fails to maintain its status as an 
organization exempt from taxation under the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986, the charter granted under this chapter shall terminate.
``Sec. 140608. Records and inspection
    ``(a) Records.--The corporation shall keep--
            ``(1) correct and complete records of account;
            ``(2) minutes of the proceedings of the members, board of 
        directors, and committees of the corporation having any of the 
        authority of the board of directors of the corporation; and
            ``(3) at the principal office of the corporation, a record 
        of the names and addresses of the members of the corporation 
        entitled to vote on matters relating to the corporation.
    ``(b) Inspection.--A member entitled to vote on any matter relating 
to the corporation, or an agent or attorney of the member, may inspect 
the records of the corporation for any proper purpose at any reasonable 
time.
``Sec. 140609. Service of process
    ``The corporation shall comply with the law on service of process 
of each State in which it is incorporated and each State in which it 
carries on activities.
``Sec. 140610. Liability for acts of officers and agents
    ``The corporation is liable for any act of any officer or agent of 
the corporation acting within the scope of the authority of the 
corporation.
``Sec. 140611. Annual report
    ``The corporation shall submit to Congress an annual report on the 
activities of the corporation during the preceding fiscal year. The 
report shall be submitted at the same time as the report of the audit 
required by section 10101(b) of this title. The report may not be 
printed as a public document.
``Sec. 140612. Definition
    ``In this chapter, the term `State' includes the District of 
Columbia and the territories and possessions of the United States.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of chapters at the beginning of 
subtitle II of title 36, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to chapter 1405 the following new item:

        ``1406. American Military Retirees Association.....   140601''.
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