Title 31 — Insurance and Securities.
94 chapters · 1,236 sections in this title.
D.C. Code § 31-5301 Definitions
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For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (1) “Benefit contract” means the agreement for provision of benefits authorized by § 31-5313, as that agreement is described in § 31-5316(a). (2) “Benefit member” means an adult member who is designated by the laws or rules of the socie…
D.C. Code § 31-5302 Operation for benefit of members and their beneficiaries; bylaws
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(a)(1) A society shall operate for the benefit of its members and their beneficiaries by: (A) Providing benefits as specified in § 31-5313; and (B) Operating for one or more social, intellectual, educational, charitable, benevolent, moral, fraternal, patriotic, or religious purpo…
D.C. Code § 31-5303 Qualifications for membership
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(a) A society shall specify in its laws or rules: (1) Eligibility standards for each class of membership, provided that if benefits are provided on the lives of children, the minimum age for adult membership shall be set at not less than age 15 and not greater than age 21; (2) Th…
D.C. Code § 31-5304 Location of office
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(a) The principal office of any domestic society shall be located in the District. The meetings of its supreme governing body may be held in any state, district, province, or territory wherein such society has at least one subordinate lodge, or in any other location as determined…
D.C. Code § 31-5305 Liability of officers and members
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(a) The officers and members of the supreme governing body or any subordinate body of a society shall not be personally liable for any benefits provided by a society. (b) Any person may be indemnified and reimbursed by any society for expenses reasonably incurred by, and liabilit…
D.C. Code § 31-5306 Waiver of laws
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The laws of the society may provide that no subordinate body, nor any of its subordinate officers or members, shall have the power or authority to waive any of the provisions of the laws of the society. Such provision shall be binding on the society and every member and beneficia…
D.C. Code § 31-5307 Organization of societies
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(a) A domestic society organized on or after April 29, 1998, shall be formed as follows: (1) Seven or more citizens of the United States, a majority of whom are residents of the District, who desire to form a fraternal benefit society may make, sign, and acknowledge, before some …
D.C. Code § 31-5308 Laws; amendments
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(a) A domestic society may amend its laws in accordance with the provisions of its laws by action of its supreme governing body at any regular or special meeting or, if its laws so provide, by referendum. The referendum may be held in accordance with the provisions of its laws by…
D.C. Code § 31-5309 Operations of nonprofit institutions
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A society may create, maintain, and operate, or may establish organizations to operate, not-for-profit institutions to further the purposes permitted by § 31-5302(a)(2). Such institutions may furnish services free of charge or at a reasonable charge. Any real or personal property…
D.C. Code § 31-5310 Reinsurance
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A domestic society may enter into reinsurance transactions only in accordance with Chapter 5 of this title. Notwithstanding that law, a society may reinsure the risks of another society in a consolidation or merger approved by the Commissioner under § 31-5311.
D.C. Code § 31-5311 Consolidations and mergers
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A domestic society may enter into agreements of consolidation or merger in accordance with § 31-4443.
D.C. Code § 31-5312 Conversion of fraternal benefit society into a mutual life insurance company
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Any domestic fraternal benefit society may be converted and licensed as a mutual life insurance company by compliance with all the applicable requirements of the laws of the District with respect to similar mutual legal reserve life insurance corporations if the plan of conversio…
D.C. Code § 31-5313 Benefits
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(a) A society may provide the following contractual benefits in any form: (1) Death benefits; (2) Endowment benefits; (3) Annuity benefits; (4) Temporary or permanent disability benefits; (5) Hospital, medical, or nursing benefits; (6) Monument or tombstone benefits to the memory…
D.C. Code § 31-5314 Beneficiaries
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(a) The owner of a benefit contract shall have the right at all times to change the beneficiary or beneficiaries in accordance with the laws or rules of the society unless the owner waives this right by specifically requesting in writing that the beneficiary designation be irrevo…
D.C. Code § 31-5315 Benefits not attachable
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No money or other benefit, charity, relief, or aid to be paid, provided, or rendered by any society, shall be liable to attachment, garnishment, or other process, or to be seized, taken, appropriated, or applied by any legal or equitable process or operation of law to pay any deb…
D.C. Code § 31-5316 Benefit contracts
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(a) Every society authorized to do business in the District shall issue to each owner of a benefit contract a certificate specifying the amount of benefits provided thereby. The certificate, together with any riders or endorsements attached thereto, the laws of the society, the a…
D.C. Code § 31-5317 Nonforfeiture benefits, cash surrender values, certificate loans, and other options
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(a) For certificates issued prior to one year after April 29, 1998, the value of every paid-up nonforfeiture benefit and the amount of any cash surrender value, loan, or other option granted shall comply with the provisions of law applicable immediately prior to April 29, 1998. (…
D.C. Code § 31-5318 Investments
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A domestic society shall invest its funds only in investments authorized by the laws of the District for the investment of assets of life insurers and subject to the limitations therein. Any foreign or alien society permitted or seeking to do business in the District which invest…
D.C. Code § 31-5319 Funds
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(a) All assets shall be held, invested and disbursed for the use and benefit of the society and no member or beneficiary shall have or acquire individual rights therein or become entitled to any apportionment on the surrender of any part thereof, except as provided in the benefit…
D.C. Code § 31-5320 Taxation
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Every society organized or licensed under this chapter is hereby declared to be a charitable and benevolent institution, and all of its funds shall be exempt from all and every state, county, district, municipal and school tax other than taxes on real estate and office equipment.
D.C. Code § 31-5321 Applicability of provisions
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Except as herein provided, societies shall be governed by this chapter and shall be exempt from all other provisions of the insurance laws of the District unless they are expressly designated therein, or unless they are specifically made applicable by this chapter.
D.C. Code § 31-5322 Valuation standards for certificates
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(a) Standards of valuation for certificates issued prior to one year after April 29, 1998 shall be those provided by the laws applicable immediately prior to April 29, 1998. (b)(1) The minimum standards of valuation for certificates issued on or after one year from April 29, 1998…
D.C. Code § 31-5323 Reports
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(a) Every society transacting business in the District shall annually, on or before March 1, unless for cause shown the time has been extended by the Commissioner, file with the Commissioner a true statement of its financial condition, transactions, and affairs for the preceding …
D.C. Code § 31-5324 Annual license
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Societies which are now authorized to transact business in the District, and all societies hereafter licensed, may continue such business until March 1 next succeeding April 29, 1998. The authority of the societies and all societies hereafter licensed, may thereafter be renewed a…
D.C. Code § 31-5325 Examination of societies; no adverse publications
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(a) The Commissioner, or any person he or she may appoint, may examine any domestic, foreign, or alien society transacting or applying for admission to transact business in the District in the same manner as authorized for examination of domestic, foreign, or alien insurers. Requ…
D.C. Code § 31-5326 Foreign or alien society; admission
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No foreign or alien society shall transact business in the District without a certificate of authority issued by the Commissioner in accordance with §§ 31-4501 and 31-4502 and § 31-2502.21.
D.C. Code § 31-5327 Injunction; liquidation; receivership of domestic society
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(a) When the Commissioner, upon investigation, finds that a domestic society has exceeded its powers; has failed to comply with any provision of this chapter; is not fulfilling its contracts in good faith; has a membership of less than 90 after an existence of one year or more; o…
D.C. Code § 31-5328 Suspension; revocation or refusal of license of foreign or alien society
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(a) When the Commissioner, upon investigation, finds that a foreign or alien society transacting or applying to transact business in the District has exceeded its powers; has failed to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter; is not fulfilling its contracts in good fait…
D.C. Code § 31-5329 Injunction
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No application or petition for injunction against any domestic, foreign or alien society, or lodge thereof, shall be recognized in any court of the District unless made by the Corporation Counsel upon request of the Commissioner.
D.C. Code § 31-5330 Licensing of agents
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(a) Agents of societies shall be licensed in accordance with the provisions of the laws regulating the licensing, revocation, suspension, or termination of license of resident and nonresident agents. No written or other examination shall be required of a person who is certified b…
D.C. Code § 31-5331 Unfair methods of competition; unfair and deceptive acts and practices
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Every society authorized to do business in the District and its agents shall be subject to the provisions of law applicable to life, accident, and health insurers relating to unfair and deceptive practices; provided, however, that nothing in such provisions shall be construed as …
D.C. Code § 31-5332 Penalties
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(a) Any person who makes a false or fraudulent statement in or relating to an application for membership or for the purpose of obtaining money from a benefit in any society shall, upon conviction, be fined not less than $100 nor more than $5,000 or be subject to imprisonment not …
D.C. Code § 31-5333 Exemption of certain societies
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(a) Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed as to affect or apply to: (1) Grand or subordinate lodges of societies, orders, or associations now doing business in the District which provide benefits exclusively through local or subordinate lodges; (2) Orders, societie…
D.C. Code § 31-5334 Review
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All decisions and findings of the Commissioner made under the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to review as provided by subchapters I and II of Chapter 2 of Title 5.
D.C. Code § 31-5335 Severability
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If any provision of this chapter or the application of such provision to any circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of this chapter or the application of the provision to other circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.