Nebraska § 21-608 - Societies declared to be corporations; status of subordinate organizations.

§ 21-608. Societies declared to be corporations; status of subordinate organizations.

All state, grand, supreme, national, secret, fraternal, benevolent, or charitable orders, lodges, organizations, societies, or other bodies issuing charters to and having subordinate or auxiliary orders, lodges, organizations, societies, or other bodies within this state which have been or may be regularly established and chartered, including the following: The Grand Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; The Supreme Guardian Council of the International Order of Job's Daughters; The Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, of the State of Nebraska; the Grand Lodge Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Grand Encampment I.O.O.F.; the Rebekah State Assembly, I.O.O.F.; the Department Council Patriarch Militant, I.O.O.F.; The Farmers' Alliance; Knights of Labor; The Grand Lodge Knights of Pythias of Nebraska; Pythian Sisterhood; Nebraska State Grange; Good Templars; Grand Army of the Republic; Women's Relief Corps, Department of Nebraska; United Spanish War Veterans, Department of Nebraska; The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America; Benevolent, Patriotic Order of Does of the United States of America; the Western Bohemian Fraternal Association, Z.C.B.J.; The Bohemian Ladies' Society, J.C.D.; The Bohemian Benevolent Society, C.S.P.S.; The Bohemian Roman Catholic Benevolent Society, C.R.K.J.P. of Nebraska; The Women's Christian Temperance Union; The Young Women's Christian Association of the United States of America; Nebraska District Young Women's Christian Association; The Brotherhood of St. Andrews; The Improved Order of Red Men's League, an adoptive degree of the Improved Order of Red Men; Degree of Pocahontas; The Great Council of Nebraska Order of Red Men; The Grand Lodge Fraternal Order of Eagles; The Knights of Columbus; Order of the Alhambra; The Modern Woodmen of America; The Woodmen of the World; The Ancient Order of United Workmen; Grand Lodge, Sons of Herman of Nebraska; The American Legion; Disabled American Veterans; The Marine Corps League; Eastern Orthodox Church; Katolicky Delnik, K.D., Catholic Workmen; The Western Bohemian Catholic Union, Z.C.K.J.; Catholic Youth Organization; The American Legion Auxiliary; the following college societies: Acacia, Alpha Gamma Rho, Alpha Sigma Phi, Alpha Tau Omega, Alpha Theta Chi, Chi Phi, Beta Theta Pi, Delta Chi, Delta Sigma Phi, Delta Tau Delta, Delta Upsilon, Kappa Delta Phi, Kappa Sigma, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa Psi, Pi Kappa Phi, Pi Phi Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Alpha Delta, Phi Delta Phi, Phi Delta Chi, Delta Sigma Delta, Xi Psi Phi, Nu Sigma Nu, Phi Chi, Phi Rho Sigma, Achoth, Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, Gamma Eta Gamma, Bushnell Guild, Farm House, Silver Lynx, Theta Chi, Phi Mu, and Delta Sigma Pi; the Newman Club; the Nebraska Press Association; Boy Scouts of America; Boy Scouts of America Local Councils; Camp Fire Girls of America; Camp Fire Girls of America Local Councils; Pathfinder Club International; Firemen's Relief Association of Nebraska; Rotary International; Sertoma International; Kiwanis International; Cosmopolitan International; Optimist International; Stuart Lodge of the Catholic Knights of America; Pulaski Club of America; Katolicky Sokol of America; Telocvicna Jednota Sokol organizations in Nebraska; International Association of Lions Clubs; the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States; Chambers of Commerce; Junior Chambers of Commerce; OEA Senior Citizen's, Inc.; the Nebraska Council of Home Extension Clubs; Nebraska State Chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood; American Province of the Order of Servants of Mary; and Great Plains, Inc., together with each and every subordinate or auxiliary lodge, encampment, tribe, company, council, post, corps, department, society, or other designated organization or body within this state, under its properly designated or chartered name as has been or may be established and chartered within or for Nebraska by its respective state, grand, supreme, national, or other governing body, and working under a charter or charters from its respective state, grand, supreme, or national lodge, organization, or other governing body, be and the same are hereby made and declared corporations within the state under the name and title designated in the respective charters or constitutions by which name they shall be capable of suing, being sued, pleading, and being impleaded in the several courts of this state, the same as natural persons.

A labor union is not a corporation under this section. Hurley v. Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, 147 Neb. 781, 25 N.W.2d 29 (1946).

Legislature, by this section, provided for the incorporation of Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and its subordinate bodies, without any precise definition of the terms benevolent and charitable. Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry v. Board of County Commissioners of Lancaster County, 122 Neb. 586, 241 N.W. 93 (1932), 81 A.L.R. 1166 (1932).

Where Nebraska Supreme Court held certain type of certificate issued by Nebraska fraternal beneficiary association to be ultra vires, refusal of Missouri courts to so hold violated full faith and credit clause of federal Constitution. Sovereign Camp W.O.W. v. Bolin, 305 U.S. 66 (1938), 119 A.L.R. 478 (1938).

This section constitutes as bodies corporate the organizations described therein, and filing of charter is merely a condition precedent to right to hold title to real estate in own name. Collins v. Russell, 114 F.2d 334 (8th Cir. 1940).