S. 616 — Foundation of the Federal Bar Association Charter Amendments Act of 2025

This section revises membership eligibility for the Federal Bar Association—a congressionally chartered nonprofit corporation for federal practitioners—by providing that such eligibility and members' rights and privileges are as specified in the corporation's bylaws (previously, members consisted of National Council members during their terms and others designated in bylaws, with each member having one vote). It retains the existing grounds for disqualifying members, directors, and officers (i.e., membership in or advocacy for organizations seeking violent overthrow of the U.S. government, or refusal to uphold and defend the Constitution).

This section revises the governing body provisions of the National Railway Historical Society by striking statutory requirements for the board of directors—including composition (previously 12 members elected by corporation members for 6-year terms, with vacancies filled by members), minimum annual meetings, voting rules, delegation authority, and the president's role as chairman—and instead deferring board composition and responsibilities to the corporation's bylaws; it also strikes requirements for officer positions (previously president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, historian, and others as provided in bylaws, elected annually by the board for 1-year terms) and instead defers officer positions and elections to the bylaws.

This section revises restrictions applicable to the Federal Bar Association under its federal charter in 36 U.S.C. §70507. It (1) broadens the political activities prohibition to bar the corporation or a director or officer in their corporate capacity from contributing to, supporting, or participating in any political activity or attempting to influence legislation (previously limited to political parties or candidates); (2) expands the distribution prohibition to cover both income and assets during the charter's life, while authorizing board-approved reasonable compensation or expense reimbursements to officers, directors, or members and clarifying that grants to Federal Bar Association chapters or employee compensation remain permissible; (3) extends the loans prohibition to members and employees (previously only directors and officers); and (4) prohibits the corporation from claiming congressional approval or U.S. government authority for its activities, while permitting acknowledgment of its charter.

This section revises the required location of the corporation's principal office to a United States location decided by the board of directors and specified in the bylaws (from the District of Columbia).

This section revises the service of process requirement for the Girl Scouts of the United States of America to comply with the law of the state or district in which it is incorporated (from requiring a designated agent in the District of Columbia).

This section revises the treatment of remaining assets of the corporation upon dissolution or final liquidation, after discharge of liabilities, to distribution as provided by the board of directors in compliance with the charter and bylaws (from deposit in the Treasury of the United States as a miscellaneous receipt).

This section specifies that the budgetary effects of this Act, for purposes of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, are to be determined by reference to the latest statement titled “Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation” submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee prior to the vote on passage.