Public Law 70–40

That section 749

District of Columbia Code.

of Subchapter XII of the Code of Law for the District of Columbia is hereby amended so as to read as follows:

“Sec. 749. Fraternal beneficial associations defined.—

A fraternal

Fraternal beneficial associations.

Vol. 31, p, 1310, amended.

Description.

beneficial association is hereby declared to be a corporation, society, order, or voluntary association, formed or organized and carried on for the sole 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 death. Each such association may

Disability benefits.

make provision for the payment of benefits in case of sickness, temporary or permanent physical disability, either as a result of disease, accident, or old age: Provided, That the period in life at which

Provisos.

Age limit.

physical disability benefits on account of old age commences shallnot be under seventy years, or the age of expectancy from the time of entering, subject to their compliance with its laws. Any such

Funds authorized.

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 payments of such benefits shall be made and the fund from which the expenses of such association shall be defrayed shall be derived from assessments, dues, and other payments collected

Beneficiaries of death benefits extended.

from its members or otherwise. The payment of death benefits shall be to the families, heirs, blood relatives, affianced husband, affianced wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepchildren, stepbrother, stepsister, children or parents by legal adoption, member’s estate, a charitable, benevolent, educational, or eleemosynary institution, or to persons dependent upon the member or upon whom

Exemption from insurance laws.

the member is dependent. Such association shall be governed by this subchapter, and shall be exempt from the provisions of insurance laws of the United States relating to the District of Columbia, and no law hereafter passed shall apply to them unless they be expressly

Outstanding agreements not excluded.

designated therein: Provided, 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 existing, shall not exclude such association from the operation of this subchapter.”

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Sec. 2.

All Acts or parts of Acts inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.