1. The principal office of a domestic society shall be located in this state. The meetings of its supreme governing body may be held anywhere the society has at least one subordinate lodge, or in another location as determined by the supreme governing body, and all business transacted at a meeting held out of state shall be as valid in all respects as if the meeting were held in this state. The minutes of the proceedings of the supreme governing body and of the board of directors shall be in the English language.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 512B.8

  • Benefit member: means an adult member who is designated by the laws or rules of the society to be a benefit member under a benefit contract. See Iowa Code 512B.2
  • Board: means the engineering and land surveying examining board provided by this chapter. See Iowa Code 542B.2
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Domestic society: means an association organized under the laws of this state. See Iowa Code 512B.2
  • Laws: means the society's articles of incorporation, constitution, and bylaws, however designated. See Iowa Code 512B.2
  • Lodge: means a subordinate member unit of the society, whether known as a camp, court, council, branch, or by any other designation. See Iowa Code 512B.2
  • Regulations: means all regulations, or resolutions adopted by the supreme governing body or board of directors which are intended to have general application to the members of the society. See Iowa Code 512B.2
  • Society: means a fraternal benefit society, unless otherwise indicated. See Iowa Code 512B.2
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. a. A society may provide in its laws for an official publication in which any notice, report, or statement required by law to be given to members, including notice of election, may be published. Such required reports, notices, and statements shall be printed conspicuously in the publication. If the records of a society show that two or more members have the same mailing address, an official publication mailed to one member is deemed to be mailed to all members at the same address unless a member requests a separate copy.

 b. Not later than June 1 of each year, a synopsis of the society’s annual statement providing an explanation of the facts concerning the condition of the society disclosed in the annual statement shall be printed and mailed to each benefit member of the society or, in lieu of mailing, the synopsis may be published in the society’s official publication.
 3. A society may provide in its laws or regulations for grievance or complaint procedures for members.