2013 New York Consolidated Laws
BVO - Benevolent Orders
Article 2 - (2 - 14) General Provisions
7 - Joint corporations.

 
    § 7. Joint  corporations.  1.  Any number of masonic bodies within the
  state, chartered by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons  of  the
  State  of  New York, the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the State
  of New York, the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of the  State
  of New York, the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of the State of New
  York,  the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for
  the  Northern  Masonic  jurisdiction,  United  States  of  America,  the
  Imperial  Council  of  the  Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic
  Shrine for North America, or the Supreme Council of the Mystic Order  of
  Veiled  Prophets of the Enchanted Realm of the United States of America,
  any number of chapters of the Order of the Eastern Star chartered by the
  Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star of the State of New  York
  and any number of masonic clubs duly chartered by or affiliated with the
  National  League of Masonic Clubs, and any number of courts of the Order
  of the Amaranth chartered by  the  Grand  Court  of  the  Order  of  the
  Amaranth of the State of New York;
    2. Any subordinate courts or other bodies of the Foresters of America,
  instituted,  established  or  authorized by the supreme or a grand court
  thereof;
    3. Any lodges, encampments and cantons within the state  chartered  by
  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Independent  Order of Odd Fellows, the Grand
  Encampment or by the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent  Order  of
  Odd  Fellows, pursuant and subject to the constitution, general rules or
  laws of said order.
    4. Any Rebekah lodges under the control and direction of  the  General
  Assembly  of  Rebekah  lodges of the State of New York, chartered by the
  Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of the State of  New
  York, pursuant and subject to the constitution, general rules or laws of
  said  order  or by the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of
  Odd Fellows;
    5. Any lodges or other bodies of the Knights of Pythias duly chartered
  by and installed according to the general rules and regulations  of  the
  grand lodge of Knights of Pythias of the State of New York;
    6.  Any post of the Grand Army of the Republic chartered and installed
  according to the regulations of that organization;
    7. Any lodges or other bodies of the Benevolent and  Protective  Order
  of  Elks duly chartered by and installed according to the regulations of
  that organization;
    8. Any lodges or other bodies of the Deutcher Orden der Harugari, duly
  chartered and installed according to the general rules  and  regulations
  of  the  grand lodges of the Deutcher Orden der Harugari of the state of
  New York, or of the Sovereign Grand Lodge  of  the  Deutcher  Orden  der
  Harugari of the United States;
    9.  Any  councils or other bodies of the Knights of Columbus chartered
  and instituted by the  National  Council  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus
  pursuant  to  the  charter, constitution and laws of said order; 10. Any
  tribes or other bodies of the Improved Order of Red  Men  chartered  and
  instituted  according to the constitution, general rules and regulations
  of the Improved Order of Red Men of the State of New York;
    11. Any councils of the Degree of Pocahontas of the state of New York;
    12. Any councils of the Degree of Pocahontas of the Improved Order  of
  Red  Men,  duly  chartered  and  instituted  according  to the rules and
  regulations of The Great Council of New York State, Degree of Pocahontas
  of the Improved Order of Red Men;
    13. The State Camp of New York of The Patriotic Order Sons of  America
  and  any  subordinate  camps of the Patriotic Order Sons of America duly
  chartered and instituted according to the rules and regulations  of  the
  State Camp of New York of the Patriotic Order Sons of America;

    14.  Any  commanderies  of  the  Knights  of  Malta,  chartered by and
  instituted according to the general rules and regulations of the Supreme
  Grand Commandery of the Ancient and  Illustrious  Order  of  Knights  of
  Malta;
    15.  Any  sisterhoods  of  the  Dames of Malta, Ladies of the Order of
  Saint John, Ancient and Illustrious Order, Knights of  Malta,  Continent
  of  America,  chartered by and instituted according to the general rules
  and regulations of the Zenodacia of the Dames of Malta;
    16. Any number of posts of the American Legion chartered and installed
  according to the regulations of that organization;
    16-a. Any number of posts of Jewish War Veterans of the United States,
  Inc., chartered and installed  according  to  the  regulations  of  that
  organization;
    16-b.  Any  number  of posts of Catholic War Veterans, Inc., chartered
  and installed according to the regulations of that organization;
    16-c. Any number of garrisons of the Army and Navy Union of the United
  States of America, chartered and installed according to the  regulations
  of that organization;
    16-d.  Any  member  of  posts  or councils of the Veterans of National
  Guard and Naval Militia,  chartered  and  instituted  according  to  the
  general rules and regulations of that organization:
    16-e.  Any number of posts of the Masonic War Veterans of the State of
  New  York,  Incorporated,  chartered  and  installed  according  to  the
  regulations of that organization;
    16-f.  Any  number  of  posts  of Italian American War Veterans of the
  United States, Incorporated, chartered and installed  according  to  the
  regulations of that organization.
    16-g.  Any  number  of  units  of the American Legion Auxiliary and Le
  Boutique des Huit Chapeaux et Quarante Femmes, chartered  and  installed
  according to the regulations of those organizations;
    16-h.  Any  number of units of Ladies' Auxiliary, Italian American War
  Veterans of the United States,  Incorporated,  chartered  and  installed
  according to the regulations of that organization.
    17.   Any   number   of   trades  unions,  trades  assemblies,  trades
  associations or labor organizations;
    18. Any number of subordinate lodges, tribes or other  bodies  of  any
  benevolent or fraternal order or society incorporated under and pursuant
  to the laws of this state;
    18-a.  Any  subordinate  lodge  of the Grand Lodge of the State of New
  York, Order Sons of Italy in America, Incorporated,  duly  chartered  by
  and  installed  according  to  the  general rules and regulations of the
  Grand Lodge of the State of New York, Order Sons of  Italy  in  America,
  Incorporated.
    18-b.  Any number of units of Ladies' Lodges, Grand Lodge of the State
  of New  York,  Order  Sons  of  Italy  in  America,  Incorporated,  duly
  chartered   and   installed   according   to  the  regulations  of  that
  organization.
    19.  Any  subordinate  lodges  within  the  state,  chartered  by  and
  installed  according  to the general rules and regulations of the United
  States Grand Lodge, Independent Order Brith Abraham of the United States
  of America;
    19-a. Any number of chapters of the order  of  the  American  Hellenic
  Educational  Progressive  Association,  Incorporated, duly chartered and
  installed according to the constitution and laws of the supreme lodge of
  said order.
    19-b. Any member of posts or units of  the  Department  of  New  York,
  Polish  Legion  of  American  Veterans, or any subordinate post thereof,
  which  is  duly  chartered  and  instituted  in  accordance   with   the

  constitution  and  by-laws of the Polish Legion of American Veterans, U.
  S. A. , and the Ladies Auxiliary, Department of New York, Polish  Legion
  of  American  Veterans or any subordinate chapter thereof, which is duly
  chartered  and  installed  according  to  the  regulations of the Polish
  Legion of American Veterans.
    19-c. Any number of clans of the United Scottish Clans of New York and
  New Jersey, duly chartered and installed according to the regulations of
  that organization;
    20. A subordinate of the King of Tyre Affiliation A.F. and A.M. of the
  State of New York.
    21. Any of the benevolent or fraternal orders or societies,  or  their
  subordinate bodies, enumerated in this section;
    22. The International Veterans Boxers Association.
    May  unite  in  forming  a  corporation,  providing  they  do not hold
  membership in a similar organization,  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring,
  constructing, maintaining and managing a hall, temple or other building,
  or  a  home  for  the  aged and indigent members of such order and their
  dependent surviving spouses and  orphans,  of  acquiring,  constructing,
  maintaining  and  managing  an  asylum,  home  or  school  for  the free
  education of the orphans and children of the worthy, aged  and  indigent
  members  of  the  bodies  so  uniting  and  of  creating, collecting and
  maintaining a library for the use of the bodies  uniting  to  form  such
  corporation, or for any of such purposes, but the membership of any such
  lodge,  chapter,  commandery, consistory, council, temple, grotto, post,
  tent, nest, camp, encampment, or  canton  will  be  dependent  upon  its
  continued  allegiance  to  the  governing body by whom it was chartered,
  installed, and under whose general rules and regulations it exists,  and
  such  governing body, if its consent to such incorporation is necessary,
  and it is a domestic corporation, shall have the right of visitation  to
  such  home,  asylum  or school for the aged and indigent members of such
  order or society, and their dependent surviving spouses and orphans, for
  the purpose of controlling and arresting abuses, and to  enforce  a  due
  observance  of  the general laws, rules and regulations of such order or
  society, governing  its  care,  control  and  maintenance  of  aged  and
  indigent  members,  their dependent surviving spouses and orphans, in so
  far as the same shall not be contrary to any law or statute.
    Each body hereafter uniting  to  form  such  corporation  shall  at  a
  regular  meeting  thereof,  held in accordance with its constitution and
  general rules and regulations or by-laws,  elect  one  or  more  members
  thereof  for  a  term  of  either one, two or three years, as the rules,
  regulations and by-laws of the body may prescribe, to  represent  it  in
  such  corporation.    If the bodies uniting to form such corporation, do
  not exceed thirty in number, then each representative so  elected  shall
  be  a trustee of said corporation, and shall make and file in the office
  of the clerk of the county where such building is, or is to be  located,
  a  certificate  of  such election signed and acknowledged by the highest
  two officers of the body electing him, stating the time and place of the
  election, its regularity, the name of the trustee, and the name  of  the
  body  from  which  he  was  elected.  If the bodies uniting to form such
  corporation shall exceed  thirty  in  number  then  the  representatives
  elected  as hereinbefore provided, shall assemble annually at a time and
  place fixed by the constitution, by-laws, rules and regulations  of  the
  corporation,  and  shall  elect  from  amongst  themselves  a president,
  vice-president,  secretary  and  treasurer,  each  of  whom   shall   be
  ex-officio  trustees of the corporation, and not less than nine nor more
  than twenty-four other trustees. Each of the bodies uniting to form such
  corporation shall elect not more than three representatives,  who  shall
  be  elected  in  the  manner  above  prescribed and whose certificate of

  election  shall  be  made  and  filed  in  the  manner  and  form  above
  prescribed.  The  trustees  so  elected shall make, acknowledge and file
  with the secretary of state  a  certificate  stating  the  name  of  the
  corporation  to  be  formed, and indorsed thereon the written consent of
  the grand body to which it is subordinate, if so required by the general
  rules and regulations of such superior body, its purposes  and  objects,
  the  names  and  places  of  residence of the trustees, the names of the
  bodies which they  respectively  represent,  the  names  of  the  bodies
  uniting  to form the corporation and their location, and the name of the
  town, village or city and the county where such building is, or is to be
  located; and there upon  the  several  bodies  so  uniting  shall  be  a
  corporation for the purposes specified in such certificate.