Congressional or Federal Charters: Overview and Current Issues

Kevin R. Kosar
Analyst in American National Government

A congressional or federal charter is a federal statute that establishes a corporation. Congress has issued charters since 1791, although most charters were issued after the start of the 20th century. Congress has used charters to create a variety of corporate entities, such as banks, government sponsored enterprises, commercial corporations, venture capital funds, and more. Congressionally chartered corporations have raised diverse issues for Congress, including (1) Title 36 corporations' membership practices; (2) prohibitions on Title 36 corporations engaging in "political activities"; (3) confusion over which corporations are governmental and which are private; and (4) federal management of these corporations.


Date of Report: March 23, 2010
Number of Pages: 9
Order Number:RS22230
Price: $29.95

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