The Congressional Charter of the American National Red Cross: Overview, History, and Analysis

The Congressional Charter of the American National Red Cross: Overview, History, and Analysis

Order Code RL33314
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
The Congressional Charter of the American
National Red Cross: Overview, History, and
Analysis
March 15, 2006
Kevin R. Kosar
Analyst in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

The Congressional Charter of the American National
Red Cross: Overview, History, and Analysis
Summary
In recent months, Congress has begun to review the performance and
management of the American National Red Cross (ANRC). This review has been
prompted, in part, by questions regarding the performance of the ANRC in response
to Hurricane Katrina.
The performance of any not-for-profit corporation is affected by many variables,
such as its governance, resources, by-laws, quality of personnel, and its partnerships
with other entities. This report examines just one of these variables, the
congressional charter of the ANRC. The report provides an overview, history, and
analysis of the present charter of the ANRC and its two earlier versions. This focus
on the ANRC’s charter is justified on two counts. First, the charter of a corporation
may be its most fundamental organizational keystone. A charter sets forth a
corporation’s organizational structure, goals, and the means for governmental
oversight of its activities. Second, the charter is the aspect of the ANRC that is most
under control of Congress, and some Members have expressed an interest in
considering alterations to the charter of the ANRC.
Although much of the charter of the ANRC has remained the same over the past
century, the governance structure of the ANRC has undergone significant changes.
In 1947, Congress amended the charter to replace the central committee of 18 persons
with a board of governors of 50 persons. The composition of this new governance
board’s membership differed greatly from that of the central committee. Federal
representation fell from 33% to 16% of members, while local ANRC chapter
representation rose from 33% to 60%. As a result, the governance board of the
ANRC is more democratic, but it also reflects less the positions, perspectives, and
interests of the government.
The review and analysis raises questions about the provisions of the current
charter of the ANRC that Congress may wish to examine. The report will be updated
to reflect significant legislative developments.

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The Charter of the American National Red Cross: Overview and History . . . . . . 3
Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Mission of the ANRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Nature and Powers of the ANRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Oversight of the ANRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
ANRC Governance and Coordination with the Federal Government . . . . . . 8
Issues for Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
List of Tables
Table 1. Revenues of the American National Red Cross, 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Table 2. Side-by-Side Comparison of ANRC Charters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

The Charter of the American National Red
Cross: Overview, History, and Analysis
Introduction
Congressional interest in the activities of the American National Red Cross
(ANRC) has been heightened by the major role the ANRC played in providing relief
to persons affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While there have been many
positive reports regarding the relief work of the ANRC, there also have been reports
of shortcomings in its performance. Questions have been raised about the
practicability of the federal government’s reliance on a volunteer organization to
respond to mass disasters.1 There have been complaints of racial insensitivity by
ANRC volunteers toward disaster victims.2 The ANRC has also been criticized for
miscounting the number Hurricane Katrina evacuees who were residing in hotels.3
ANRC relief funds, reportedly, were given to persons who did not qualify for aid.4
In response, Congress began an examination of the ANRC. The Subcommittee
on Oversight of the House Committee on Ways and Means has held a hearing on the
response of the ANRC and other charities to the devastation wrought by Hurricane
Katrina, while the Senate Committee on Finance has begun a review of ANRC’s
governance and performance in disaster relief.5
1 U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Democratic Staff, Trouble Exposed:
Katrina, Rita, and the Red Cross: A Familiar History, report, Dec. 15, 2005, available at
[http://hsc-democrats.house.gov/NR/rdonlyres/A7010E1F-2D83-4DAB-BE8D-DA0A06
11D8A6/0/RedCrossReport.pdf]; and Editorial, “Re-examining the Red Cross,” New York
Times, Dec. 4, 2005, p. 11. This editorial called for congressional hearings on the Red Cross
role in catastrophe response.
2 Jacqueline L. Salmon, “Red Cross Bolstering Minority Outreach,” Washington Post, Dec.
5, 2005, pp. A1, A10.
3 Jacqueline L. Salmon and Spencer S. Hsu, “A Big Cut in Katrina’s Hotel Bill,”
Washington Post, Oct. 19, 2005, p. A8.
4 Eric Lipton, “Money Flowed to City Spared Worst of Storm,” New York Times, Nov. 20,
2005, pp. 1, 22; and Jacqueline L. Salmon, “Fraud Alleged at Red Cross Call Centers,”
Washington Post, Dec. 27, 2005, p. A2.
5 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Oversight, The
Response of Charities to Hurricane Katrina, hearing, 109th Cong., 1st sess., Dec. 13, 2005;
and U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Chairman Charles Grassley, “Grassley Questions
Red Cross Board on Its Practices, Effectiveness,” press release, Dec. 29, 2005.

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Some Members of Congress have also expressed an interest in the charter of the
ANRC6 and its possible effects on the management and operations of the
organization.7 Critics outside the organization also have raised questions about the
governance structure of the ANRC.8 The ANRC has initiated a review of its
governance and is considering means for improving its practices.9
The performance of any not-for-profit corporation is affected by many
variables, such as its governance, resources, by-laws, quality of personnel, and
partnerships with other entities. This report examines just one of these variables, the
congressional charter of the ANRC. The report provides a comparative analysis of
the present charter of the ANRC and its two earlier versions.
To this end, the report uses a straightforward methodology. First, it provides an
overview of what a charter is and a brief history of the charter of the ANRC. Second,
the report provides an analysis of the charter as it is today, what the charter says, and
how it has been changed over time. To assist in this latter task, a side-by-side
comparison of the ANRC’s charters — 1900, 1905, and the current charter as
codified in 2004 — is provided (Table 2).10 The left column includes the full text
of the 1900 charter.11 The central column includes the differences between the 1905
charter and the 1900 charter. Finally, the right column shows the differences
between the current charter and its earlier iterations. This side-by-side presentation
assists the reader in seeing Congress’s major alterations to the various provisions of
the charter over time.
6 Stephanie Strom, “Senators Press Red Cross for a Full Accounting,” New York Times, Dec.
30, 2005, p. A17.
7 Jacqueline L. Salmon, “Red Cross Leadership at Issue,” Washington Post, Dec. 30, 2005,
p. A4; and U.S. Senate Committee on Finance,”Grassley Questions Red Cross Board on Its
Practices, Effectiveness,” p. 2.
8 Bill Nichols, “Legislators Have Critical Eye on Red Cross,” USA Today, Jan. 30, 2006, p.
3A; and Ian Wilhelm, “Charity at a Crossroads,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Jan. 12,
2006, p. 32. U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Chairman Charles Grassley, “Grassley
Urges Red Cross to Improve Governance, Respond to Volunteers’ Concerns,” press release,
Feb. 27, 2006.
9 Jack McGuire and Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, “Fixing the Red Cross: Unnecessary
Roughness,” press release, March 3, 2006.
10 To be clear, ANRC has had two charters. Congress enacted the first ANRC
congressional charter in 1900. Congress enacted a new charter in 1905 that repealed the
1900 charter and replaced it with a new version. In 1947, Congress greatly revised the 1905
charter. Since then, Congress has made minor revisions to ANRC’s charter.
11 The only omission is that the “incorporators” provision of the 1900 and 1905 charters
does not list the dozens of names of the original incorporators. These names were not
included as they were not useful to the analysis.

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The Charter of the American National Red Cross:
Overview and History
A charter is a document issued by the sovereign that legally establishes a
corporation and its most basic characteristics, such as its legal purpose, basic
governance structure, and its means of public accountability. As such, the charter
may be the most fundamental organizational building block for a corporation.
Congress has used charters to create a variety of corporate entities, such as banks,
government-sponsored enterprises, commercial corporations, venture capital funds,
and more.12
The ANRC is a somewhat unusual case. Although its charter may be found in
Title 36 of the U.S. Code, the organization bears little resemblance to the other
congressionally chartered charitable entities found there.13 The U.S. Code (36 U.S.C.
Subtitle III) classifies the ANRC, and the ANRC alone, as a “treaty obligation
organization.”
The ANRC was first chartered by Congress on June 6, 1900 (31 Stat. 277-280),
for the purposes of fulfilling some of the duties of the United States under the
Geneva Convention of August 22, 1864.14 This treaty, signed by 30 nations at the
time, declared that ambulances and military hospitals and persons attached thereto
were to be considered neutral and “protected and respected by belligerents so long
as any sick or wounded may be therein” (Article I). Congress also charged the
ANRC with serving as the official U.S. disaster relief organization. The ANRC was
to
continue and carry on a system of national and international relief in time of
peace and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence,
famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities. (31 Stat. 278)
Since 1900, Congress has re-chartered the ANRC once and greatly amended its
charter at a later time. In 1905, Congress repealed the charter of 1900 and enacted
12 CRS Report RS22230, Congressional or Federal Charters: Overview and Current Issues,
by Kevin R. Kosar.
13 Title 36 holds the charters of approximately 100 patriotic, charitable, and historical
corporations and commemorative commissions. CRS Report RL30340, Congressionally
Chartered Nonprofit Organizations (‘Title 36 Corporations’): What They Are and How
Congress Treats Them, by Ronald C. Moe and Kevin R. Kosar.
14 While 26 of the 30 nations present at the August 1864 gathering in Geneva, Switzerland
signed the treaty on August 22, the United States and three others did not. President Chester
A. Arthur signed the treaty on March 1, 1882, and the Senate acceded to it on March 16,
1882 (22 Stat. 940-951). Prior to its federal chartering, ANRC had been chartered under the
laws of the District of Columbia in 1881. On the early history of the Red Cross, see Sarah
Elizabeth Pickett, The American National Red Cross: Its Origins, Purposes, and Service
(New York: The Century Co., 1923), pp. 12-14; David H. Burton, Clara Barton: In Service
of Humanity (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995), pp. 81-99; and American National
Red Cross, The American National Red Cross: Its Origins and History, As Shown by
Official Documents (Washington: ANRC, 1898).

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a new charter in response to complaints regarding ANRC’s handling of funds,
governance structure, and other problems (33 Stat. 599-602).15
In 1947, Congress enacted major amendments to the charter of the ANRC (61
Stat. 80-83). These changes were, perhaps, as dramatic as those made in 1905. In
particular, Congress made significant alterations to the managerial structure in
response to complaints that the ANRC’s board was insufficiently “democratic.”16
Since then, Congress has made modest alterations to the ANRC’s charter.17 Thus,
the ANRC charter of today is largely the same as it was after the 1947 amendments.
The current charter of the ANRC establishes the basic purposes of the
organization, one of which is serving as a disaster relief organization for the United
States. The U.S. government and ANRC have inked separate agreements that flesh
out the particular responsibilities of the organization in response to disasters. Most
recently, the ANRC became a signee to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s
(DHS’s) National Response Plan (NRP). The NRP provides a framework for
providing a federal governmental response to “national incidents.” The other
participants to the NRP include cabinet and federal agencies — such as the
Department of Defense and the National Transportation Safety Board — as well as
an umbrella group, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
(NVOAD).18 The ANRC has responsibility under the NRP to serve as a primary
agency to lead and coordinate efforts to provide mass care, housing, and human
services after disasters that require federal assistance.19 The ANRC is the only non-
governmental entity designated as a primary support agency in the NRP.
The ANRC also serves as a “support agency” for other NRP “emergency
support functions” (ESFs), including the following: ESF #3 (“public works and
engineering”), ESF #5 (“emergency management”), ESF #8 (“public health and
medical services”), ESF #13 (agriculture and natural resources”), ESF #14 (“long-
15 The organization had been run, in great part, by its founder, Clara Barton, who
barnstormed to raise money for the organization, traveled to disaster areas, and dispensed
funds. At the close of the 19th century, her leadership was criticized and challenged by
another person, with the result being the eruption of a schism and internecine battle for
control over the organization. Foster Rhea Dulles, The American Red Cross: A History
(New York: Harper and Brothers; reprint, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, Publishers
1971), pp. 19-80.
16 Ibid., pp. 531-539.
17 See American National Red Cross, “The Federal Charter of the American Red Cross,”
pp. 5-7, available at [http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/charter.asp]. The most recent
codification (Jan. 19, 2004) of the ANRC charter may be accessed at
[http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/36C3001.txt].
18 NVOAD coordinates efforts by various private organizations in response to disasters.
Under the previous “Federal Response Plan,” ANRC was the sole non-governmental entity
assigned duties.
19 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of DHS shares responsibility with
ANRC as a primary agency. See U.S. Department of Homeland Security, National
Response Plan (Washington: GPO, Dec. 2004), ESF #6-5, available at [http://www.dhs.gov/
dhspublic/interweb/assetlibrary/NRP_FullText.pdf].

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term community recovery and mitigation”), and ESF #15 (“external affairs”).20 In
addition, a “statement of understanding” between the ANRC and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) enumerates the specific responsibilities
of the ANRC in “disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery operations
in the event of a natural, man-made, or technological disaster.”21
Analysis
Mission of the ANRC
As set forth in its current and previous charters, the mission of the ANRC has
remained the same since it was first chartered by Congress in 1900.22 As originally
envisioned by its founders in the early 1860s, Red Cross societies in each nation
would execute the humane objectives of the Geneva Convention of August 22,
1864.23 In short, each nation would have a Red Cross society that would supply
medical care and relief supplies to its soldiers when they were wounded in battle. (At
this time, nations’ armies had very small medical teams which tended to be unable
to adequately care for the large numbers of casualties of battles.)
The mission of the Red Cross societies became bifurcated in 1884. At the
international meeting of Red Cross societies it was agreed that the societies should
provide relief services in times of peace as well as war.24 Thus originated the
ANRC’s and other nations’ Red Cross societies’ role in disaster relief.25
Congress included these two duties in the ANRC’s first charter. It also included
another duty — to serve as a “medium of communication between the people of the
United States of America and their armies.” The origins of this provision are unclear.
Congress may have been encouraged to assign this task to the ANRC because Clara
Barton, the ANRC’s founder, had devised and operated the Office of Correspondence
with Friends of Missing Men of the United States Army at the close of the Civil War.
20 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, National Response Plan, p. ESF-vi.
21 Statement of Understanding Between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and
the American National Red Cross, Oct. 1, 1997, p. 2. An undated letter from the director
of FEMA’s Recovery Division to the senior vice-president of preparedness and response of
ANRC extended this SOU until a new memorandum of understanding is completed.
22 See the “preamble” and “purposes” sections of Table 2.
23 Pickett, The American National Red Cross, pp. 4-12.
24 Burton, Clara Barton, pp. 110-111.
25 Congress may have been encouraged to give the ANRC this duty in light of the
organization’s relief efforts in response to the Michigan forest fires (1881) and the flooding
of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers (1882 and 1884). Burton, Clara Barton, pp. 94, 101-
109.

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This office, and later the ANRC, assisted displaced individuals to contact one
another.26
The Nature and Powers of the ANRC
The charter of the ANRC provides it with the standard powers of a body
corporate — to sue and be sued, to have and hold real estate, to adopt a seal, and so
forth.27 As the sole charitable entity designated by charter to carry out battle-relief
duties under the Geneva Conventions, no other entity may represent itself as the U.S.
representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (IFRCRCS).28 Furthermore, the ANRC remains the lone charity with a
congressional charter to provide relief.
Before it received its first charter in 1900, the ANRC was a private charitable
corporation. Once it was chartered, though, its nature became more ambiguous,
occupying that area between the private and public sectors. The ANRC is not a
government agency and it is not staffed by government employees. Nor does it
depend upon annual appropriations. It is unclear how much of the ANRC’s annual
revenue is derived from government appropriations and contracts. The ANRC’s
annual report of 2005 lists revenues of $2.29 billion from “products and services,”
$.21 billion from “investment incomes and other [revenues],” and $1.40 billion in
“contributions.”29 The most recent tax return available of the ANRC lists $60 million
in government contributions but also reports $2.3 billion in “program service
revenue,” a category of revenue that includes “government fees and contracts” (see
Table 1).30
26 For example, after Hurricane Katrina struck in August, 2005, the ANRC set up a “Family
Links Registry.”
27 See the “incorporators” and “powers” sections of Table 2.
28 On the relationship of the ANRC to the IFRCRCS, see [http://www.redcross.org/faq/
0,1096,0_382_,00.html#3023]. For Congressional debate on other entities using a red cross
as a symbol, see U.S. Congress, Congressional Record, 58th Cong, 3rd sess., Dec. 19, 1904,
pp. 404.
29 ANRC, We Can’t Do It Without You: Annual Report of 2005, available at
[http://www.redcross.org/pubs/car05/Annual_Report.PDF], p. 20.
30 The ANRC’s 2004 tax returns and 2005 consolidated financial statements are available
at [http://www.redcross.org/pubs/car04/TxFm990.PDF] and [http://www.redcross.org/
pubs/car05/2005CFS.pdf]. The ANRC reports that the Biomedical Services Program of
ANRC accounted for $2.2 billion of the $3.1 billion in annual program services expenses.
ANRC, We Can’t Do it Without You, p. 21. The Biomedical Services program of ANRC
“supplies almost half of the nation’s blood supply by working with more than 4 million
donors and 3,000 hospitals. [The ANRC] rel[ies] on the generous gifts volunteer blood
donors provide us. In order for the Red Cross to make that gift available to patients in need,
[the ANRC] must collect, store, test and process the blood. There are significant costs
associated with each of these processes, and in order for us to continue making one person’s
donation available to someone else who needs it, we must charge for the testing and
processing of the blood to recoup these costs.” ANRC, “Biomedical FAQs,” available at
[http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_379_,00.html#456].

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Table 1. Revenues of the American National Red Cross, 2003
Direct public support
$393,218,246
Indirect public support
$163,835,709
Government contributions (grants)
$60,642,338
Program service revenue including government fees and contracts
$2,311,696,293
Interest on savings and temporary cash investments
$135,756
Dividends and interest on securities
$54,223,306
Net rental income
$2,743,056
Gross amount from sales of assets other than inventory
$19,750,642
Special events and activities
$28,285,242
Other revenue
$31,523,440
Total
$3,065,541,356
Source: American National Red Cross Consolidated IRS Form 990, 2003.
Yet, the ANRC assuredly has governmental attributes. It has treaty-related
obligations (an attribute that usually is lodged with the sovereign authority of a state).
The charter of 1905 included representatives of the State, War, Navy, Treasury, and
Justice Departments as incorporators of the ANRC. The ANRC’s current and
previous charters have required it to provide Congress with annual reports of its
operations and expenditures, a mandate typically placed upon governmental entities
but not private charitable organizations. ANRC also has received, in rare instances,
government appropriations.31 Finally, since 1905, the ANRC’s charters have
provided the President with the power to appoint members of the board (“central
committee” and “board of governors,” respectively) — another attribute that is
typical of governmental entities.32
Thus, except in its earliest manifestation, the ANRC has had a number of
characteristics which have led it to be deemed a quasi-governmental entity.33 This
ambiguous public-private nature has led to legal conflicts requiring adjudication by
the courts.34
31 For example, P.L. 108-324 appropriated $70,000,000 to the American National Red Cross
for “reimbursement of disaster relief and recovery expenditures and emergency services
associated with Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne.” Less than half of this
amount was actually accepted by the ANRC.
32 See the “central committee” and “board of governors” sections of Table 2.
33 On quasi-governmental entities, see CRS Report RL30533, The Quasi Government:
Hybrid Organizations with Both Government and Private Sector Legal Characteristics, by
Ronald C. Moe and Kevin R. Kosar.
34 For example, see Wesley A. Sturges, “The Legal Status of the Red Cross,” Michigan Law
Review, vol. 56, 1957, pp. 1-32; and Michael T. Maloan, “Federal Jurisdiction and Practice:
The American National Red Cross and the Interpretation of ‘Sue and Be Sued’ Clauses,”
Oklahoma Law Review, vol. 45, 1992, pp. 739-760.

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Oversight of the ANRC
The ANRC charters have provided limited oversight powers to the federal
government. All of the charters have stated that Congress retains the power “to
repeal, alter or amend” ANRC’s charter. (This would require the enactment of
legislation.) ANRC’s charters have endowed the ANRC with “perpetual succession,”
which means that the corporation does not have an expiration date and need not
return to Congress to seek renewal of its charter.35
The 1900 ANRC charter required the organization to “transmit to Congress a
full, complete, and itemized report of all receipts and expenditures of whatever kind,
and of its proceedings during the preceding year.” The ANRC also was obliged to
provide reports to the Secretaries of War and the Navy and to respond to queries from
the Secretary of State. The 1905 charter and the 1947 revisions simplified the
reporting requirements; the ANRC was to submit an annual report to the Secretary
of Defense, who would audit it and transmit the report to Congress.36
However, because the charters do not authorize annual appropriations for the
ANRC, Congress’s power to use “the purse” to encourage the ANRC’s compliance
is limited. Moreover, the ANRC is not listed as a “government corporation” in the
Government Corporation Control Act (31 U.S.C. 9101-9110). Enacted in 1945, this
law sets the general ground rules for the operations and public accountability of
government corporations (e.g., Tennessee Valley Authority, Millennium Challenge
Corporation, Export-Import Bank, etc.)37
ANRC Governance and Coordination
with the Federal Government
The current and past charters of the ANRC have permitted the organization to
set its own by-laws,38 through which the corporation may erect its managerial and
administrative structures.39 The 1900 charter of the ANRC set up no governance
35 See the “powers,” “amendment,” and “reservation of right to amend” sections of Table
2.
36 Under House and Senate rules, the House International Relations Committee and the
Senate Foreign Relations and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committees have
explicit legislative jurisdiction over the ANRC. See U.S. Congress, Constitution,
Jefferson’s Manual, and Rules of the House of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth
Congress, H.Doc. 108-241, 108th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 2005), Rule X; and
U.S. Congress, Senate Manual Containing the Standing Rules, Orders, Laws, and
Resolutions Affecting the Business of the United State Senate, S. Doc. 107-1, 107th Cong.,
1st sess. (Washington: GPO, 2002), Rule 25.
37 See CRS Report RL30365, Federal Government Corporations: An Overview, by Ronald
C. Moe and Kevin R. Kosar.
38 See the “powers” section of Table 2.
39 Thus, one does not find the powers of corporate officers, such as the chief executive and
chief financial officers listed in the charter. These positions and others are devised by the
ANRC.

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body for the organization. At the ANRC’s urging, Congress remedied this oversight
in the 1905 charter, and once again in the 1947 amendments thereto.40
The 1905 charter erected two governing bodies — a “central committee” and
an “executive committee.” The central committee of the ANRC was composed of
18 persons, six of whom were appointed by the President. One of these six was
required to be named the chairman of the committee, and five were representatives
of the Departments of State, War, Navy, the Treasury, and Justice.
Another six members were appointed by the 55 incorporators of the ANRC.41
Herein was a source of congressional influence over the corporation, because the
incorporators included a number of then current and former Members of Congress,
such as Representative John S. Williams (D-MS) and Senator John G. Carlisle (D-
KY).42 During the House’s consideration of the bill (S. 5704) to issue the 1905
ANRC charter, the following colloquy took place.
Rep. Joseph S. Sherley (D-KY): There has been a great deal of trouble in the past
in regard to the management of the funds of [ANRC]. It is going to handle a
great deal of money. It does business all over the world ....
Rep. Sereno E. Payne (R-NY): I do not see that any power is given over these
funds except to the corporation which is to exist here in the city of Washington
.... The real power is in the incorporators, and I see that a number of gentlemen
who are Members of this House are named as such ....43
The final six members of the ANRC central committee were to be selected by
representatives from the state and territorial Red Cross societies. Thus, this
arrangement provided both the executive and legislative branches of the federal
government, along with local chapters, some power over the governance of ANRC.
The powers of the corporation rested with this central committee, which the
charter of 1905 empowered to establish an executive committee that could use these
powers on a day-to-day basis. The executive committee would be composed of seven
persons, five of whom constituted a quorum.
While the small size of the executive committee encouraged close working
relationships between the persons operating the ANRC on a day-to-day basis, the
central committee provided a larger yet manageable forum in which to consider
important questions or to devise responses to major disasters. This arrangement
created a managerial structure that was well integrated with the executive branch.
Representatives of the President were one-third of the members of the central
committee and could serve on the executive committee. As members of the central
committee and occupants of the chairmanship, executive branch representatives
could exercise considerable influence over the activities of the corporation generally
40 See the “central committee” and “board of governors” sections of Table 2. On ANRC’s
urging for a new charter, see Dulles, The American Red Cross, pp. 73-81.
41 These 55 incorporators included employees of ANRC, like Clara Barton, and eminent
citizens of the day, such as Marshall Field and William H. Taft.
42 Senator Redfield Proctor (R-VT), one of the incorporators, previously had worked closely
with the ANRC to devise the new charter. See Dulles, The American Red Cross, pp. 73-81.
43 U.S. Congress, Congressional Record, 58th Cong., 3rd sess., Dec. 19, 1904, p. 406.

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and in its day-to-day operations. As representatives from the departments that may
be involved in war-making and disaster response, they could provide expertise and
access materials needed for these activities. These executive members were pooled
with members selected by the incorporators, who, as noted above, included selected
Members of Congress.
Under this arrangement, the ANRC performed admirably in at least one major
catastrophe.44 In 1927, the Mississippi River flooded 26,000 square miles of land in
seven states inhabited by some 930,000 persons. The federal government was able
to respond quickly, in great part, due to the existence of this shared leadership of the
ANRC. President Calvin Coolidge formed an ad hoc committee of the secretaries of
the Departments of the Treasury, War, and Navy, and the members of the Red Cross
Central Committee. Coolidge appointed the Secretary of Commerce, Herbert
Hoover, as head of this committee. The ANRC central committee quickly appointed
one person (James L. Fieser, chairman) to represent it and wield its powers to
respond to the disaster. Thus, the full powers of the federal government and the
American National Red Cross had been pooled in the hands of two persons in just a
few hours. This helped make possible a well-coordinated and expeditious response.45
The 1947 amendments to the ANRC’s charter considerably altered the previous
managerial arrangement. The response was prompted by complaints that the
management of the ANRC was insufficiently attentive to the preferences of the
nearly 500 local Red Cross chapters, which collected from donors a considerable
portion of ANRC’s funds and whose members were on the front line in disaster and
war relief duties. The ANRC created a commission in March of 1946 that produced
a report recommending that the central committee of the corporation be made more
“democratic.”46
The ANRC drafted a proposal for amending its charter, which became S. 591
(80th Cong., 1st sess). Congress held a hearing, where witnesses spoke of the need to
give the local chapters greater influence over the operations of the ANRC.47 On May
8, 1947, Congress enacted the amendments (P.L. 80-47).
Under the new arrangement, the central committee was replaced by a 50-person
“board of governors.” The President would appoint eight of the governors, the
chapters would elect 30 members at the annual ANRC convention, and these 38
44 Discussion of the federal and ANRC response to the flood of 1927 is drawn from CRS
Report RL33126, Disaster Response and Appointment of a Recovery Czar: The Executive
Branch’s Response to the Flood of 1927, by Kevin R. Kosar.
45 A similar though purely governmental example of the pooling of federal power can be
found in the presidential commission created in response to the Alaska earthquake of 1964.
See Federal Reconstruction and Development Planning Commission for Alaska, Response
to Disaster: Alaskan Earthquake, March 27, 1964 (Washington, GPO: 1964).
46 Dulles, The American Red Cross, pp. 531-538.
47 U.S. Congress, “Amending the Act of January 5, 1905, to Incorporate the American
National Red Cross,” Report No. 337, 80th Cong. 1st sess., May 6, 1947, House Reports, vol.
2 (Washington, GPO: 1947); U.S. Congress, “Amending the Act of January 5, 1905, to
Incorporate the American National Red Cross,” Report No. 38, 80th Cong. 1st sess., Feb. 26,
1947, Senate Reports, vol. 1, (Washington, GPO: 1947); U.S. Congress, Committee on
Foreign Relations, American National Red Cross, hearings, 80th Cong., 1st sess., Feb. 25,
1947 (Washington: GPO, 1947); and U.S. Congress, Congressional Record, March 3 and
May 6, 1946, pp. 1609-1610, and 4601-4602.

CRS-11
would then elect 12 “members-at-large” who are to represent “the national interests
which the corporation serves.”
The board of governors is empowered to appoint an “executive committee” of
11 persons to exercise the powers of the board when it is not in session. The
amendments of 1947 also provided the board of governors with the power to decide
how many votes each chapter is permitted to cast at the annual meetings — a
determination to be based on the sizes of the memberships and populations served
by individual chapters — and obligated it to reconsider such allocations of voting
power every five years.
The effect of this new form of governance would appear to be considerable. In
simple terms, the board of governors is almost three times larger than the central
committee was. A larger governance board may dramatically increase the number
of voices that may be heard at governance meetings. More local representatives on
the board also, presumably, may increase the board diversity and bring into
deliberations more local-specific knowledge.48
While a larger and possibly more diverse board may provide for a wider
consideration of different viewpoints, it may have its shortcomings. For one, the
board may suffer from the problem of “too many cooks in the kitchen.”49 The
probability of the board making coherent decisions and plans for the corporation may
decrease as the number of participants increases. Indeed, a board of this size for a
federal or federally affiliated entity may be without precedent.50 Moreover, the duty
of the board of governors is to direct and oversee the operations of this large
corporation. A board of this size may not well comport with these objectives if board
members view it as their duty to act as delegates for the interests of their local
chapters.51 Former chief executive officers of the ANRC have complained of
unhelpful board intrusion in day-to-day operations.52
Furthermore, the composition of the board has gone from being having a
significant executive branch presence (i.e., 33% of members) to a minor one (16%).
This change in composition, then, has shifted the board from being one largely
48 The change in the method of election also may have increased the probability of the
election of a more diverse board because the 12 at-large members are chosen by
representatives of chapters from around the nation. Under the 1905 charter as enacted, the
incorporators tended to be leading lights in society who resided in a few locales. This
homogeneity may have produced choices for board members who were not necessarily as
diverse as those chosen by the current method.
49 “How the Red Cross Should Move Forward: Advice From Experts,” Chronicle of
Philanthropy, Jan. 12, 2006, p. 34. The activities of The Nature Conservancy, a not-for-
profit corporation, have come under congressional scrutiny in the past few years. In order
to improve the governance and performance of the corporation, The Nature Conservancy is
adopting a number of reforms, including the reduction of the size of its board from 40 to 18.
See Ira M. Milstein, “Progress Report on The Nature Conservancy,” memorandum, April
19, 2005, available at [http://www.nature.org/aboutus/files/milstein_progress.pdf].
50 For example, the charter of the quasi-governmental entity, Fannie Mae, provides for 18
members, five of whom are appointed by the President.
51 Jerry Mitchell, “Representation in Government Boards and Commissions,” Public
Administration Review, vol. 57, no.2, March/April 1997.
52 Ian Wilhelm, “Charity at a Crossroads,” Chronicle of Philanthropy, Jan. 12, 2006, p. 32.

CRS-12
staffed by persons responsive to the President and Congress to one that may be
mostly influenced by representatives of local chapters.53 (The 1905 charter gave local
chapters 33% of the membership of the central committee; the current charter gives
them 60% of the membership.) This diminished role in the deliberations may give
presidential appointees the perception that they have little role in the direction and
operation of the ANRC, which may account for reports of low turnout and activity
by executive branch representatives.54
Issues for Congress

The above review and analysis raises many questions about the provisions of the
current charter of the ANRC:
! The ANRC has remained the only charitable entity chartered by
Congress to carry out war and disaster relief related activities.
Should other charitable entities also be chartered to help carry out
any of these responsibilities?
! Should the ANRC have a charter that provides it with perpetual
succession? Or should the charter be replaced with a long-term
contract that requires ANRC to reach performance goals?
! Does a 50-person board of governors mostly staffed with persons
chosen by local chapters comport with efficient and effective
operation of a corporation with national and international duties?
! Is the present means for selecting the members of the executive
committee — election by the 50-person board of governors — the
optimal way to choose officers to oversee the work of the ANRC’s
corporate officers?
! Does the selection of at-large board members by other members of
the board of governors produce effective and accountable
leadership?
! Should Congress and the members of the President’s cabinet have
a larger presence on the board of governors and the executive
committee, as they did before the 1947 revisions to ANRC’s
charter?
! Does the current charter adequately provide a forum in which
representatives from diverse executive departments can work with
ANRC staff to provide a coordinated response to disaster?
53 Ibid.
54 Grassley, “Grassley Urges Red Cross to Improve Governance, Respond to Volunteers’
Concerns,” p. 3. If presidentially appointed board members turn over rapidly, federal
influence over board decisions may be diminished. Such members may be viewed by
longer-serving board members as inexperienced and soon-to-leave.

CRS-13
! Should the federal government’s representatives on the governance
boards be required to have experience in relief activities? Should
they be civil servants with long terms?
! Should the charter of the ANRC state the specific oversight duties
of either the board of governors or the executive committee vis-a-vis
the ANRC’s corporate officers?
! Should the board of governors or the executive committee have any
operational responsibilities, especially in the event of a large
disaster?
! Does the ANRC need a board of governors to whom it is
responsible? Should the board of governors serve only as an
advisory body? Should the ANRC be headed by an administrator
who reports directly to an executive department?55
These are just some of the questions that Congress may wish to consider as it
continues its oversight activities.
55 The governance model of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Corporation (33 U.S.C. 981)
includes an administrator, who has full responsibilities to run the corporation and an
advisory board. The administrator reports directly to the Secretary of the Department of
Transportation. The House Transportation and Infrastructure and Senate Commerce,
Science and Transportation Committees oversee the corporation’s activities.

CRS-14
Table 2. Side-by-Side Comparison of ANRC Charters
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
American National Red
American National Red
Not included.
Cross, incorporated.
Cross, reincorporated.
Preamble.
Preamble.
“Whereas on the twenty-second
Identical except as noted below.
of August, eighteen hundred
and sixty-four, at Geneva,
Does not include the text “of
Switzerland, plenipotentiaries
suppressing the needless
respectively representing Italy,
severity and ....”
Baden Belgium, Denmark,
Spain, Portugal, France,
Uses term “according” instead
Prussia, Saxony, and
of “affording.”
Wurtemburg, and the Federal
Council of Switzerland agreed
upon ten articles of a treaty or
convention for the purpose of
mitigating the evils inseparable
from war; of suppressing the
needless severity and
ameliorating the condition of
soldiers wounded on the field of
battle; and particularly
providing, among other things,
in effect, that persons employed
in hospitals, and in affording
relief to the sick and wounded,
and supplies for this purpose,
shall be deemed neutral and
entitled to protection; and that a
distinctive and uniform flag
shall be adopted for hospitals
and ambulances, and convoys of
sick and wounded, and an arm
badge for individuals
neutralized; and
“Whereas said treaty has been
Identical.
ratified by all of said nations,
and by others subsequently, to
the number of forty-three or
more, including the United
States of America; and

CRS-15
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
“Whereas a permanent
Identical except that it includes
organization is an agency
this additional text at the
needed in every nation to carry
beginning of the paragraph:
out the purposes of said treaty,
“Whereas the International
and especially to secure
Conference of Geneva of
supplies and to execute the
eighteen hundred and sixty-
humane objects contemplated
three recommended ‘that there
by said treaty, with the power to
exist in every country a
adopt and use the distinctive
committee whose mission
flag and arm badge specified by
consists in cooperating in times
said treaty in article seven, on
of war with the hospital service
which shall be the sign of Red
of the armies by all means in
Cross, for the purposes of
power;’ and....”
cooperating with the “Comite
International de Secours aux
Militaires Blesses”
(International Committee of
Relief for the Wounded in
War); and
“Whereas, in accordance with
Identical except for punctuation.
the requirements and customs of
said international body, such an
association, adopting and using
said insignia, was formed in the
city of Washington, District of
Columbia, in July, eighteen
hundred and eighty-one, known
Identical except that it also
as “The American National
includes the following text at
Association of the Red Cross,”
the end of the paragraph:
and reincorporated April
“reincorporated by Act of
seventeenth, eighteen hundred
Congress in June, nineteen
and ninety-three, under the laws
hundred; and ....”
of the District of Columbia; and
“Whereas it is believed that the
“Whereas it is believed that the
importance of the work
importance of the work
demands a reincorporation by
demands a repeal of the present
the Congress of the United
charter and a reincorporation of
States: Now, therefore,”
the society under Government
supervision: Now, therefore,”

CRS-16
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
Incorporators.
Incorporators.
Sec. 300101. Organization.
“Be it enacted by the Senate and
Similar provision except that
“(a) Federal Charter. — The
House of Representatives of the
many of the named
American National Red Cross
United States of America in
incorporators are different and
(in this chapter, the
Congress assembled, That Clara
include “five other persons to
‘corporation’) is a body
Barton, George Kennan, Julian
be named by the President of
corporate and politic in the
B. Hubbell [...] and their
the United States, one to be
District of Columbia.
associates and successors, are
chosen from each of the
hereby created a body corporate
Departments of State, War,
“(b) Name. — The name of the
and politic in the District of
Navy, Treasury, and Justice.”
corporation is ‘The American
Columbia.
National Red Cross’.”
“(c) Perpetual Existence. —
Except as otherwise provided,
the corporation has perpetual
existence.”
Name of the corporation.
Name of the corporation.
Sec. 300105. Powers.
Powers.
Powers.
“Sec. 2. That the name of this
Identical except as noted below.
See Sec. 300101(b) above for
corporation shall be “The
declaration of name of the
American National Red Cross,”
corporation.
and by that name it shall have
perpetual succession, with the
“(a) General. — The
power to sue and be sued in
corporation may —
courts of law and equity within
(1) adopt bylaws and
the jurisdiction of the United
regulations;
States; to have and to hold such
(2) adopt, alter, and destroy a
real and personal estate as shall
seal;
be convenient and necessary to
(3) own and dispose of property
carry out the purposes of this
to carry out the purposes of the
corporation hereinafter set
corporation;
forth, such real estate to be
(4) accept gifts, devises, and
limited to such quantity as may
bequests of property to carry
be necessary for officials use of
out the purposes of the
office buildings; to adopt a seal
corporation;
and the same to alter and
Uses term “advisable” instead
(5) sue and be sued in courts of
destroy at pleasure;
of “necessary” and adds text to
law and equity, State or Federal,
permit the ANRC to “accept
within the jurisdiction of the
bequests.” Does not include
United States; and
text “such real estate to be
(6) do any other act necessary to
limited to such quantity as may
carry out this chapter and
be necessary for officials use of
promote the purposes of the
office buildings.”
corporation.
“(b) Designation. — The
corporation is designated as the
organization authorized to act in
matters of relief under the
treaties of Geneva, August 22,
1864, July 27, 1929, and August
12, 1949.

CRS-17
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
“and to have the right to have
Identical except as noted below.
Sec. 300106. Emblem, badge,
and to use, in carrying out its
and brassard.
purposes hereinafter designated,
“(a) Emblem and Badge. — In
as an emblem and a badge, a
carrying out its purposes under
Greek red cross on a white
this chapter, the corporation
ground, as the same has been
may have and use, as an
described in the treaty of
emblem and badge, a Greek red
Geneva, August twenty-second,
cross on a white ground, as
eighteen hundred and sixty-
described in the treaties of
four, and adopted by the several
Geneva, August 22, 1864, July
nations acceding thereto; to
27, 1929, and August 12, 1949,
ordain and establish by-laws
and adopted by the nations
and regulations not inconsistent
Includes the following text after
acceding to those treaties.”
with laws of the United States
the word “regulations”:
of America or any State thereof,
“(including the establishment of
and generally to do all such acts
regulations for the election of
and things as may be necessary
associates and successors)”.
to carry into effect the
provisions of this Act and
promote the purposes of said
organization; and the
corporation is hereby created
and designated as the
organization which is
authorized to act in matters of
relief under said treaty. In
accordance with article seven,
of the treaty, the delivery of the
brassard allowed for individuals
neutralized in time of war shall
be left to military authority.”
Purposes.
Purposes.
Sec. 300102. Purposes.
“Sec. 3. That the purposes of
Identical.
Identical.
this corporation are and shall be
—

CRS-18
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
“First. To furnish volunteer aid
Identical.
“The purposes of the
to the sick and wounded of
corporation are —
armies in time of war, in
(1) to provide volunteer aid in
accordance with the spirit and
time of war to the sick and
conditions of the conference of
wounded of the Armed Forces,
Geneva of October, eighteen
in accordance with the spirit
hundred and sixty-three, and
and conditions of —
also of the treaty of the Red
(A) the conference of Geneva of
Cross, or the treaty of Geneva
October 1863;
of August twenty-second,
(B) the treaties of the Red
eighteen hundred and sixty four,
Cross, or the treaties of Geneva,
to which the United States of
August 22, 1864, July 27, 1929,
America gave its adhesion on
and August 12, 1949, to which
March first, eighteen hundred
the United States of America
and eighty-two.
has given its adhesion; and
(C) any other treaty,
convention, or protocol similar
in purpose to which the United
States of America has given or
may give its adhesion;
“Second. And for said purposes
Identical.
Similar provision but replaces
to perform all such duties
the text “said treaty” with “any
devolved upon a national
of those treaties, conventions, or
society by each nation which
protocols.”
has acceded to said treaty.
“Third. To succeed to all the
After the word “corporation,”
Not included.
rights and property which have
the charter replaces the previous
been hitherto held and to all
text with “duly incorporated by
duties which have heretofore
Act of Congress June sixth,
been performed by the
nineteen hundred, which Act is
American National Red Cross
hereby repealed and the
as a corporation duly organized
organization created thereby is
and existing under the laws of
hereby dissolved.”
the United States relating to the
District of Columbia, which
organization is hereby
dissolved.

CRS-19
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
“Fourth. To act in matters of
Uses text “accord” instead of
Reverts to use of the text
voluntary relief and in
“accordance.”
“accord.” Uses text “military
accordance with the military
authorities” instead of “military
and naval authorities as a
and naval authorities.”
medium of communication
between the people of the
Uses the text “and the Army
Uses text “these matters”
United States of America and
and Navy” instead of “armies.”
instead of “such matters.” Uses
their armies, and to act in such
text “International Committee
matters between similar
of the Red Cross” instead of “
national societies of other
Comite International de
governments through the
Secours.” Uses text “Armed
“Comite International de
Forces” instead of “armies.”
Secours” and the Government
and the people and the armies of
the United States of America.
“Fifth. And to continue and
Identical except that it includes
Uses text “to carry out a system
carry on a system of national
text “and to devise and carry on
of national and international
and international relief in time
measures for preventing the
relief in time of peace, and to
of peace and apply the same in
same” at the end of this
apply that system in mitigating
mitigating the sufferings caused
sentence.
the suffering caused by
by pestilence, famine, fires,
pestilence, famine, fire, floods,
floods, and other great national
and other great national
calamities.
calamities, and to devise and
carry out measures for
preventing those calamities.”
“Sixth. And to devise and carry
Not included because it was
Not included because it was
on measures for preventing the
partially merged into the fifth
merged into the above text.
same, and generally to promote
purpose (see above).
measures of humanity and the
welfare of mankind.”

CRS-20
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
Not included.
See section on “central
Sec. 300103. Membership and
committee” below.
chapters.
“(a) Membership. —
Membership in the corporation
is open to all the people of the
United States and its territories
and possessions, on payment of
an amount specified in the
bylaws.
“(b) Chapters. —
“(1) The chapters of the
corporation are the local units
of the corporation. The board of
governors shall prescribe
regulations related to —

“(A) granting charters to the
chapters and revoking those
charters;
“(B) the territorial jurisdiction
of the chapters;
“(C) the relationship of the
chapters to the corporation; and
“(D) compliance by the chapters
with the policies and regulations
of the corporation.
“(2) The regulations shall
require that each chapter adhere
to the democratic principles of
election specified in the bylaws
in electing the governing body
of the chapter and selecting
delegates to the national
convention of the corporation.”

CRS-21
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
Use of Insignia, etc.
Use of Insignia, etc.
Not included.
Forbidden. Penalty.
Forbidden. Penalty.
“Sec. 4. That from and after the
Nearly identical.
passage of this Act it shall be
unlawful for any person within
the jurisdiction of the United
States to falsely and
fraudulently hold himself out
as, or represent or pretend
himself to be a member of or an
agent for the American National
Red Cross for the purposes of
soliciting, collecting, or
receiving money or material; or
for any person to wear or
display the sign of the red cross,
or any insignia colored in
imitation thereof, for the
fraudulent purpose of inducing
the belief that he is a member or
an agent for the American
National Red Cross.”
Not Included.
Adds the text, “Nor shall it be
lawful for any person or
corporation, other than the Red
Cross of America, not now
lawfully entitled to use the sign
of the Red Cross, hereafter to
use any such sign or any
insignia colored in imitation
thereof for the purposes of trade
or as an advertisement to induce
the sale of any article
whatsoever.”
“If any person violates the
Identical.
provisions of this section he
shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor, and shall be
liable to a fine of not less than
one or not more than five
hundred dollars, or
imprisonment for a term not
exceeding one year, or both, for
each and veery offense. The
Does not include text “The
fine so collected shall be paid to
appointment of the chief
the American National Red
medical officer shall not be
Cross. The appointment of the
made without the approval in
chief medical officer shall not
writing of the Secretary of
be made without the approval in
War.”
writing of the Secretary of
War.”

CRS-22
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
Not included.
Central Committee. Duties.
Sec. 300104. Board of
Election of members.
governors.
Vacancies. Executive
committee. Meetings.
Quorum. Voting by proxy
forbidden.
“Sec. 5. That the governing
“(a) Board of Governors. —
body of the said American
National Red Cross shall
“(1) The board of governors is
consist, in the first instance, of a
the governing body of the
central committee numbering
corporation with all powers of
eighteen persons, to be
governing and managing the
appointed in the manner
corporation. The board has 50
following, namely: Six by the
members. The governors shall
incorporators herein named and
be appointed or elected in the
twelve by the President of the
following manner:
United States, one of whom

shall be designated by the
“(A) The President shall
President to act as chairman. It
appoint eight governors, one of
shall be the duty of the central
whom the President shall
committee to organize with as
designate to act as the principal
little delay as possible State and
officer of the corporation with
Territorial societies, including
the title and functions provided
the District of Columbia, under
in the bylaws. The other
such rules as the said committee
governors appointed by the
may prescribe. When six or
President shall be officials of
more State or Territorial
departments and agencies of the
societies have been formed,
United States Government,
thereafter the central committee
whose positions and interests
shall be composed as follows:
qualify them to contribute to
Six to be appointed by the
carrying out the programs and
incorporators, six by the
purposes of the corporation. At
representatives of the State and
least one, but not more than
Territorial societies at the
three, of those officials shall be
annual meeting of the
selected from the Armed
incorporators and societies, and
Forces.
six by the President of the
United States, one of whom
shall be designated the
chairman and one each to be
named by him from the
Departments of State, War,
Navy, Treasury, and Justice.

CRS-23
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
“The first six members of the
“(B) The chapters shall elect 30
central committee elected by the
governors at the national
incorporators at the first annual
convention under procedures
meeting, and the first six
for nomination and election that
members of the central
ensure equitable representation
committee elected by the state
of all chapters, with regard to
and territorial delegates, shall
geographical considerations, the
when elected select by lot from
size of the chapters, and the size
their number two members to
of the populations served by the
serve one year, two members to
chapters.
serve two years, and two
members to serve three years,
“(C) The board shall elect 12
and each subsequent election of
governors as members-at-large.
members shall be for a period of
Those governors shall be
three years or until their
individuals who are
successors are duly elected and
representative of the national
qualify. The six members of the
interests that the corporation
central committee appointed by
serves, and with which it is
the President at the annual
desirable that the corporation
meeting shall serve for one
have close association.
year.
“(2) One-third of the members
elected to the board shall be
elected at each national
convention, and take office at
that time or as soon as
practicable after the convention.
“The President shall fill as soon
“(b) Term of Office and
as may be any vacancy that may
Vacancies. — (1) The term of
occur by death, resignation, or
office of each governor is 3
otherwise in the chairmanship
years. However, the term of
or in the membership of the
office of a governor appointed
central committee appointed by
by the President (except the
him. And any vacancy that may
principal officer of the
occur in the six members of the
corporation) expires if, before
central committee herein
the end of the 3-year term, the
provided to be appointed by the
governor retires from the
incorporators or in the six to be
official position held at the time
appointed by the State societies
of appointment as a governor.
shall be filled by temporary
(2) The President shall fill as
appointments to be made by the
soon as practicable a vacancy in
remaining members of the six in
the office of the principal
which the vacancy or vacancies
officer of the corporation or in
may occur, such appointees to
the position of another governor
serve until the next annual
appointed by the President. The
meeting.
board shall make a temporary
appointment to fill a vacancy
occurring in an elected position
on the board. An individual
appointed by the board to fill a
vacancy serves until the next
national convention.”

CRS-24
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
“The central committee shall
“(c) Executive Committee. —
have the power to appoint from
The board may —
its own members an executive
(1) appoint, from its own
committee of seven persons,
members, an executive
five of whom shall be a quorum,
committee of at least 11
who, when the central
individuals to exercise the
committee is not in session,
powers of the board when the
shall have and exercise all
board is not in session; and (2)
powers of the central
appoint and remove, or provide
committee.
for the appointment and
removal of, officers and
employees of the corporation,
except the principal officer of
the corporation.”
“The Secretary of War shall
Sec. 300107. Annual meeting.
within thirty days after the
“The annual meeting of the
passage of this Act call a
corporation is the national
meeting at a time and a place to
convention of delegates of the
be designated by him in the
chapters. The national
Washington of the incorporators
convention shall be held
hereunder, giving at least thirty
annually on a date and at a
days notice thereof in one or
place specified by the board of
more newspapers, and the
governors. In matters requiring
annual meeting of said
a vote at the national
incorporators, their associates
convention, each chapter is
and successors, shall thereafter
entitled to at least one vote. The
be held in said city on the first
board shall determine on an
Tuesday after the first Monday
equitable basis the number of
in December, the first of said
votes that each chapter is
meetings to be held in
entitled to cast, taking into
December, nineteen hundred
consideration the size of the
and five. Fifteen members shall
membership of the chapters and
constitute a quorum at any
of the populations served by the
annual or special meeting.
chapters. The board shall
review the allocation of votes at
least every 5 years.”
Not included.
“Voting by proxy shall not be
Sec. 300104 (d).
allowed at any meeting of the
“(d) Voting by Proxy. —
incorporators, annual or special,
Voting by proxy is not allowed
nor at any meeting of State or
at any meeting of the board, at
Territorial societies organized
the national convention, or at
under the provisions of this
any meeting of a chapter.
charter.”
However, the board may allow
the election of governors by
proxy at the national convention
if the board believes a national
emergency makes attendance at
the national convention
impossible.”

CRS-25
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
Not included.
Not included.
Sec. 300108. Buildings.
“(a) Ownership. — The United
States Government shall retain
ownership of the corporation’s
permanent headquarters,
comprised of buildings erected
on square 172 in the District of
Columbia, including —
“(1) the memorial building to
commemorate the service and
sacrifice of the women of the
United States, North and South,
during the Civil War, erected
for the use of the corporation;
“(2) the memorial building to
commemorate the service and
sacrifice of the patriotic women
of the United States, its
territories and possessions, and
the District of Columbia during
World War I, erected for the use
of the corporation; and
“(3) the permanent building
erected for the use of the
corporation in connection with
its work in cooperation with the
Government.
“(b) Maintenance and Expenses.
— Those buildings shall remain
under the supervision of the
Administrator of General
Services. However, the
corporation shall care for and
maintain the buildings without
expense to the Government.”
Not included.
Not included.
Sec. 300109. Endowment
fund.
“The endowment fund of the
corporation shall be kept and
invested under the management
and control of a board of nine
trustees elected by the board of
governors. The board of
governors shall prescribe
regulations on terms and tenure
of office, accountability, and
expenses of the board of
trustees.”

CRS-26
Charter of 1900
Charter of 1905
Current Charter
(31 Stat. 277-280)
(33 Stat. 599-602)
(36 U.S.C. 300101-11)
Reports. Amendment.
Reports.
Sec. 300110. Annual report
and audit.
“Sec. 5. That the said American
“Sec. 6. That the said American
“(a) Submission of Report. —
National Red Cross shall, on the
National Red Cross shall on the
As soon as practicable after July
first day of January of each
first day of January of each year
1 of each year, the corporation
year, make and transmit to
make and transmit to the
shall submit a report to the
Congress a full, complete, and
Secretary of War a report of its
Secretary of Defense on the
itemized report of all receipts
proceedings for the preceding
activities of the corporation
and expenditures of whatever
year, including a
during the fiscal year ending
kind, and of its proceedings
full, complete, and itemized
June 30, including a complete,
during the preceding year, and
report of all receipts and
itemized report of all receipts
shall also give such information
expenditures of whatever kind,
and expenditures.
concerning its transactions and
which report shall be duly
affairs as the Secretary of State
audited by the War Department,
“(b) Auditing of Report and
may from time to time require,
and a copy of said report shall
Submission to Congress. — The
and, in respect of all business
be transmitted to Congress by
Secretary shall audit the report
and proceedings in which it may
the War Department.”
and submit a copy of the
be concerned in connection with
audited report to Congress.
the War and Navy Departments
of the Government, shall make
“(c) Payment of Audit
reports to the Secretary of War
Expenses. — The corporation
and to the Secretary of the
shall reimburse the Secretary
Navy, respectively.”
each year for auditing its
accounts. The amount paid shall
be deposited in the Treasury of
the United States as a
miscellaneous receipt.”
“Sec. 6. That Congress shall
Identical provision at Sec. 7
Sec. 300111. Reservation of
have the right to repeal, alter, or
below.
right to amend or repeal.
amend this Act at any time.
“Congress reserves the right to
amend or repeal the provisions
of this chapter.”
“Approved, June 6, 1900.”
“Approved, January 5, 1905.”
Not included.
See Sec. 6 above.
Amendment.
See Sec. 300111 above.
Sec. 7. Identical to Sec. 6 of the
charter of 1900.