South Dakota Codified Laws
Chapter 37A - Fraternal Benefit Societies
Section 58-37A-38 - Exempt societies--Allowance of compensation for procuring new members prohibited--Director to determine exemption--Exempt societies not subject to insurance laws.

58-37A-38. Exempt societies--Allowance of compensation for procuring new members prohibited--Director to determine exemption--Exempt societies not subject to insurance laws.
Nothing contained in this chapter may be construed as to apply to:
(1)Grand or subordinate lodges of societies, orders, or associations now doing business in this state which provide benefits exclusively through local or subordinate lodges;
(2)Orders, societies, or associations which admit to membership only persons engaged in crafts or hazardous occupations, in the same or similar lines of business, insuring only their own members and their families, and the ladies' societies or ladies' auxiliaries to these orders, societies, or associations;
(3)Domestic societies which limit their membership to employees of a particular municipality, designated firm, business house, or corporation which provide for a death benefit of not more than four hundred dollars or disability benefits of not more than three hundred fifty dollars to any person in any one year, or both; or
(4)Domestic societies or associations of a purely religious, charitable, or benevolent description, which provide for a death benefit of not more than four hundred dollars or for disability benefits of not more than three hundred fifty dollars to any one person in any one year, or both.
Any such society or association described in subdivision (3) or (4) of this section which provides for death or disability benefits for which benefit certificates are issued, and any such society or association included in subdivision (4) of this section which has more than one thousand members, is not exempt from the provisions of this chapter.
No society which, by the provisions of this section, is exempt from the requirements of this chapter, except any society described in subdivision (2) of this section may give or allow, or promise to give or allow, to any person any compensation for procuring new members.
Every society which provides for benefits in case of death or disability resulting solely from accident and which does not obligate itself to pay natural death or sick benefits has all of the privileges and is subject to the provisions of this chapter. However, the provisions of this chapter relating to medical examination, valuations of benefit certificates and incontestability, do not apply to that society.
The director may require from any society or association, by examination or otherwise, the information that will enable the director to determine whether the society or association is exempt from the provisions of this chapter.
Any society, exempt under the provisions of this section, is also exempt from all other provisions of the insurance laws of this state.

Source: SL 1990, ch 410, §38; SL 1992, ch 60, §2.

Structure South Dakota Codified Laws

South Dakota Codified Laws

Title 58 - Insurance

Chapter 37A - Fraternal Benefit Societies

Section 58-37A-1 - Fraternal benefit society defined.

Section 58-37A-2 - Lodge system--Regular meetings--Lodges for children.

Section 58-37A-3 - Representative form of government determined.

Section 58-37A-4 - Definition of terms.

Section 58-37A-5 - Benefits and purposes of society--Power to adopt laws and rules for governing the society.

Section 58-37A-6 - Specification of laws or rules--Membership rights.

Section 58-37A-7 - Location of office and meetings--Official publication--Annual synopsis--Grievance procedures provided.

Section 58-37A-8 - Liability of officers and members of governing body--Indemnification and reimbursement--Insurance--Liability of noncompensated member.

Section 58-37A-9 - Provisions of laws may not be waived.

Section 58-37A-10 - Procedure for formation of a society--Transaction by unincorporated society is a misdemeanor.

Section 58-37A-11 - Amendments to society laws--Adoption--Filing--Printing as prima facie evidence.

Section 58-37A-12 - Nonprofit organization created by society.

Section 58-37A-13 - Reinsurance agreement--Ceding risks.

Section 58-37A-14 - Consolidation or merger.

Section 58-37A-15 - Conversion into life insurance company--Plan--Approval.

Section 58-37A-16 - Contractual benefits allowed.

Section 58-37A-17 - Beneficiary designations--Funeral benefits.

Section 58-37A-18 - Money or other benefits not attachable for individual debts.

Section 58-37A-19 - Benefit certificates.

Section 58-37A-20 - Basis for computing value of nonforfeiture benefits.

Section 58-37A-21 - Authorized investments.

Section 58-37A-22 - Permissible use of assets and special funds--Establishing separate accounts and issuing contracts.

Section 58-37A-23 - Exemption from other insurance laws.

Section 58-37A-24 - Exemption from certain taxes.

Section 58-37A-25 - Standards of valuation for certificates--Maintenance of excess reserves.

Section 58-37A-26 - Annual statement of affairs--Valuation of certificates--Filing requirements.

Section 58-37A-27 - License to transact business--Annual expiration and renewal--License fee--Copy of license as evidence.

Section 58-37A-28 - Examination of domestic, foreign, and alien societies--Requirements--Responsibility for expenses--Report of examination.

Section 58-37A-29 - Foreign or alien society--Qualifications and procedure for admission to transact business in state.

Section 58-37A-33 - Insurance producers--When license is required.

Section 58-37A-34 - Applicability of unfair trade prohibitions--Determination of membership requirements and to whom benefits offered.

Section 58-37A-35 - Appointment of director as attorney for service of process--Copy forwarded to secretary of society--Time for filing answer--Fee paid by plaintiff.

Section 58-37A-36 - Fraudulent statements, and soliciting membership in unlicensed societies as crimes.

Section 58-37A-37 - Judicial review of actions of director.

Section 58-37A-38 - Exempt societies--Allowance of compensation for procuring new members prohibited--Director to determine exemption--Exempt societies not subject to insurance laws.

Section 58-37A-38.1 - Inapplicability of subdivision 58-37A-38(2) to certain societies, orders, and associations.

Section 58-37A-39 - Application of other provisions.