A congressional charter is a law passed by the United States Congress that states the mission, authority and activities of a group. Congress has issued federal charters from 1791 until 1992. Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican...

Background

Prior to the District of Columbia being granted the ability to issue corporate charters in the late 1800s, corporations operating in the District required a congressional charter. With limited exceptions, most corporations created by Congress are not federally chartered, but are simply created as District of Columbia corporations as a result of the enabling law.

Some charters create corporate entities and is akin to being incorporated at the federal level. Examples of such charters are the Federal Reserve Bank, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Other national level groups with such charters are the American Red Cross, National Park Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Federal Reserve Districts The United States Federal Reserve System consists of twelve Federal Reserve Banks, each responsible for a particular district, and some with branches. ... The United States Federal Government created the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) (NYSE: FNM), commonly known as Fannie Mae, in 1938 to establish a secondary market for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). ... The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (NYSE: FRE) is a stockholder-owned, publicly-traded company chartered by the United States federal government in 1970 to purchase mortgages and related securities, and then issues securities and bonds in financial markets backed by those mortgages in secondary markets. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A WWII-era poster encouraged American women to volunteer for the Red Cross as part of the war effort. ... The National Park Foundation, was chartered Congress on December 18, 1967 in Pub. ... The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization which was founded in 1949 to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities. ...

More common is a charter that recognizes a group already are incorporated at the state level. These largely honorific charters is that it "tends to provide an 'official' imprimatur to their activities, and to that extent it may provide them prestige and indirect financial benefit." ^[1] Groups that fall into this group are usually veterans groups, fraternal groups or youth groups like the Girl Scouts of the USA or the Boy Scouts of America. Congress has chartered about 100 fraternal or patriotic groups. ^[2] The Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. ... The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is a United States Scouting organization, with some presence in other countries. ...

Process

Eligibility for a charter is based on a group’s activities, whether they are unique, and whether or not they are in the public interest. If this is the case, a bill to grant a charter is introduced in Congress and must be voted into law.

The issuance of charters was officially stopped in 1992, though some exceptions have been made. The granting of a charter does not include congressional oversight. ^[2] Congress, in addition to its lawmaking duties, has oversight authority over the Executive Branch. ...

See also

• Title 36 of the United States Code

Title 36 of the United States Code outlines the role of Patriotic Societies and Observances in the United States Code. ...

External links

• U.S. Code Title 36, via United States Government Printing Office
• U.S. Code Title 36, via Cornell University

The logotype of the United States Government Printing Office In the United States, the Government Printing Office (GPO) prints and provides access to documents produced by and for all three branches of the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, and all executive branch agencies like the FCC and... Cornell University is a private university located in Ithaca, New York, USA. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar. ...

References