[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5488 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5488

To amend title 36, United States Code, to provide for a Federal charter 
            for Remote Area Medical, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 12, 2018

  Mr. Duncan of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. Roe of Tennessee, and Mr. 
 DesJarlais) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 36, United States Code, to provide for a Federal charter 
            for Remote Area Medical, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Remote Area Medical Charter Act of 
2018''.

SEC. 2.

    Chapter 1801 of title 36, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:

                  ``CHAPTER 1850--REMOTE AREA MEDICAL

``185101. Organization.
``185102. Purposes.
``185103. Membership and chapters.
``185104. Board of Directors.
``185105. Powers.
``185106. Annual meeting.
``185107. Endowment fund.
``185108. Annual report and audit.
``185109. Authority of the Comptroller General of the United States.
``185110. Reservation of right to amend or repeal.
``185111. Service of process.
``Sec. 185101. Organization
    ``(a) Federal Charter.--Remote Area Medical (in this chapter, the 
`corporation') is a Federally chartered corporation.
    ``(b) Name.--The name of the corporation is `Remote Area Medical' 
or `RAM'. The corporation may conduct its business and affairs, and 
otherwise hold itself out, as the `Remote Area Medical' in any 
jurisdiction.
    ``(c) Perpetual Existence.--Except as otherwise provided, the 
corporation has perpetual existence.
``Sec. 185102. Purposes
    ``The purpose of the corporation is--
            ``(1) To prevent pain and alleviate suffering by providing 
        free quality healthcare to those in need. The corporation will 
        utilize mobile ground and airborne capabilities to provide free 
        medical care and veterinary services to the needy.
            ``(2) To organize and facilitate animal husbandry and 
        wildlife conservation, to include the distribution of 
        educational information and data.
            ``(3) To organize and distribute education information and 
        provide live educational and training programs for 
        underprivileged youth and adults.
``Sec. 185103. Membership and chapters
    ``(a) Membership.--Membership in the corporation is open to all the 
people of the United States and its territories and possessions, or as 
provided in the bylaws.
    ``(b) Affiliates.--
            ``(1) The affiliates of the corporation are the local units 
        of the corporation. The corporation shall prescribe policies 
        and regulations related to--
                    ``(A) granting charters to the affiliates and 
                revoking those charters;
                    ``(B) the territorial jurisdiction of the 
                affiliates;
                    ``(C) the relationship of the affiliates to the 
                corporation; and
                    ``(D) compliance by the affiliates with the 
                policies and regulations of the corporation.
            ``(2) The policies and regulations shall require that each 
        affiliate adhere to the democratic principles of election 
        specified in the bylaws in electing the governing body of the 
        affiliate.
``Sec. 185104. Board of Directors
    ``(a) Board of Directors.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Board of Directors is the governing 
        body of the corporation with all powers of governing and 
        directing, and of overseeing the management of the business and 
        affairs of, the corporation.
            ``(2) Number.--The Board of Directors shall fix by 
        resolution, from time to time, the number of members 
        constituting the entire Board of Directors, provided that as of 
        July 13, 2014, and thereafter, there shall be no fewer than 
        twelve. There shall be 9 standing committees. Procedures to 
        implement or amend the preceding sentence shall be provided in 
        the bylaws.
            ``(3) Appointment.--The Board of Directors shall be 
        appointed or elected in the following manner:
                    ``(A) President.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Board of Directors, 
                        in accordance with procedures provided in the 
                        bylaws, shall have Stan Brock serving as 
                        President of the Board for life or upon his 
                        resignation or removal from the Board.
                            ``(ii) Vacancies.--Vacancies as to the 
                        Presidency of the Board, whether resulting from 
                        the resignation, death, or removal by the 
                        Board, shall be filled as provided in the 
                        bylaws.
                            ``(iii) Duties.--The President shall be a 
                        member of the Board of Directors and, when 
                        present, shall preside at meetings of the Board 
                        of Directors and shall have such other duties 
                        and responsibilities as may be provided in the 
                        bylaws or a resolution of the Board of 
                        Directors.
                    ``(B) Other members.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Officers of the Board of 
                        Directors other than the President shall be 
                        elected at the annual meeting of the 
                        corporation in accordance with such procedures 
                        as may be provided in the bylaws.
                            ``(ii) Vacancies.--Vacancies in any such 
                        elected Board position and in any newly created 
                        Board position may be filled by a vote of the 
                        remaining members of the Board of Directors in 
                        accordance with such procedures as may be 
                        provided in the bylaws.
    ``(b) Terms of Office.--
            ``(1) In general.--The term of office of each member of the 
        Board of Directors shall be 2 years, except that any member of 
        the Board of Directors elected by the Board to fill a vacancy 
        in a Board position arising before the expiration of its term 
        may, as determined by the Board, serve for the remainder of 
        that term or until the next meeting of the corporation.
            ``(2) Staggered terms.--The terms of office of members of 
        the Board of Directors (other than the President) shall be 
        staggered. Elections of the Board of Directors shall take place 
        in the winter quarterly meeting and each July at the annual 
        meeting.
    ``(c) Committees and Officers.--The Board--
            ``(1) may appoint, from its own members, an executive 
        committee to exercise such powers of the Board when the Board 
        is not in session as may be provided in the bylaws;
            ``(2) may appoint such other committees with such powers as 
        may be provided in the bylaws or a resolution of the Board of 
        Directors;
            ``(3) shall appoint such officers of the corporation, 
        including a chief executive officer, with such duties, 
        responsibilities, and terms of office as may be provided in the 
        bylaws or a resolution of the Board of Directors; and
            ``(4) may remove members of the Board of Directors (other 
        than the President), officers, and employees under such 
        procedures as may be provided in the bylaws or a resolution of 
        the Board of Directors.
    ``(d) Action Without Meeting.--Any action required or permitted to 
be taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors or of any committee 
thereof may be taken without a meeting if 75 percent of the members of 
the Board or committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing, 
or by electronic transmission and the writing or electronic 
transmission is filed with the minutes of the next proceedings of the 
Board or committee, if ratified by a majority vote of the Board. Such 
filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper 
form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in 
electronic form.
    ``(e) Voting by Proxy.--
            ``(1) In general.--Any member wishing to vote through proxy 
        must notify the Secretary of the Board in writing more than 24 
        hours in advance of the Board meeting.
            ``(2) Method.--An e-mail constitutes a writing for proxy 
        notification purposes.
    ``(f) Bylaws.--The Board of Directors may--
            ``(1) at any time adopt bylaws; and
            ``(2) amend these bylaws upon written notice provided at 
        least 5 days in advance of any meeting convened for that 
        purpose. Amendments may only be adopted on a majority vote of a 
        quorum of the entire membership of the Board at the time the 
        amendment is proposed.
``Sec. 185105. Powers
    ``The corporation may--
            ``(1) adopt policies and regulations;
            ``(2) adopt, alter, and destroy a seal;
            ``(3) own and dispose of property to carry out the purposes 
        of the corporation;
            ``(4) accept gifts, devises, and bequests of property to 
        carry out the purposes of the corporation;
            ``(5) sue and be sued in courts of law and equity, State or 
        Federal, within the jurisdiction of the United States; and
            ``(6) do any other act necessary to carry out this chapter 
        and promote the purposes of the corporation.
``Sec. 185106. Annual meeting
    ``(a) In General.--The annual meeting of the corporation is the 
annual meeting of Directors.
    ``(b) Time of Meeting.--The annual meeting shall be held during the 
month of July.
    ``(c) Place of Meeting.--The Board of Directors is authorized to 
determine that the annual meeting shall not be held at any place, but 
may instead be held solely by means of remote communication subject to 
such procedures as are provided in the bylaws.
``Sec. 185107. Endowment fund
    ``Any endowment fund of the corporation shall be kept and invested 
under the management and control of the Board of Directors.
``Sec. 185108. Annual report and audit
    ``(a) Submission of Report.--As soon as practicable after the end 
of the corporation's fiscal year, which may be changed from time to 
time by the Board of Directors, the corporation shall submit a report 
to Congress on the activities of the corporation during such fiscal 
year. The report may not be printed as a public document.
    ``(b) Audit Requirements.--RAM shall comply with the audit 
requirements of 36 U.S.C. 10101.
``Sec. 185109. Authority of the Comptroller General of the United 
              States
    ``The Comptroller General of the United States is authorized to 
review the corporation's involvement in any Federal program or activity 
the Government carries out under law.
``Sec. 185110. Reservation of right to amend or repeal
    ``Congress reserves the right to amend or repeal the provisions of 
this chapter.
``Sec. 185111. Service of process
    ``As a condition to the exercise of any power or privilege granted 
by this chapter, the corporation shall file, with the secretary of 
state or other designated official of each State, the name and address 
of an agent in that State on whom legal process or demands against the 
corporation may be served.''.
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