D R A F T
FOR
DISCUSSION ONLY
Amendments to:
Uniform
Partnership Act (1997)
Uniform
Limited Partnership Act (2001)
Uniform
Limited Liability
Company Act (2006)
Uniform Limited Cooperative
Association Act (2007)
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS
ON UNIFORM STATE LAWS
For Record Owners of Business Act
January 2008 Drafting Committee Meeting
Without Prefatory Notes or Comments
Copyright ©2008
By
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS
ON UNIFORM STATE LAWS
______________________________________________________________________________________
The
ideas and conclusions set forth in this draft, including the proposed statutory
language and any comments or reporter’s notes, have not been passed upon by the
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws or the Drafting
Committee. They do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Conference and its Commissioners and the Drafting
Committee and its Members and Reporter.
Proposed statutory language may not be used to ascertain the intent or
meaning of any promulgated final statutory proposal.
January 8, 2008
DRAFTING COMMITTEE ON RECORD OWNERS OF BUSINESS ACT
The
Committee appointed by and representing the National Conference of
Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in preparing this Act consists of the
following individuals:
Harry J. Haynsworth, IV, 2200 IDS Center, 80 S. 8th St., Minneapolis, MN 55402, Chair
Bruce A. Coggeshall, One
Monument Sq., Portland, ME 04101
David G. Nixon, 2340 Green
Acres Rd., Suite 12, Fayetteville, AR 72703
Steve Wilborn, 306 Tower
Dr., Shelbyville, KY 40065
Nora Winkelman, Office of General Counsel, 333 Market St., 17th Flr., Harrisburg, PA 17101
William H. Clark, Jr., One Logan Square, 18th and Cherry Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19103-6996, Reporter
EX OFFICIO
MARTHA LEE WALTERS, Oregon Supreme Court, 1163 State St., Salem, OR 97301-2563,
President
William H. Henning, University of Alabama, Box 870382, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0382, Division Chair
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION ADVISOR
Allan G. Donn, One
Commercial Place, Suite 1800, Norfolk, VA 23510, ABA Advisor
ERIC FELDMAN, 1313 N. Market St., P.O. Box 951, Wilmington, DE 19899-0951, ABA Section Advisor
ROBERT R. KEATINGE, 555 17th St., Suite 3200, Denver, CO 80202-3979, ABA Section Advisor
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
JOHN A. SEBERT, 111 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 1010, Chicago, IL 60602, Executive Director
Copies of this Act may be obtained from:
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS
ON UNIFORM STATE LAWS
111 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 1010
Chicago, Illinois 60602
312/450-6600
www.nccusl.org
RECORD
OWNERS OF BUSINESS ACT
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
UNIFORM
PARTNERSHIP ACT (1997)
SECTION 103.
EFFECT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; NONWAIVABLE PROVISIONS.
SECTION 105. EXECUTION,
FILING, AND RECORDING OF STATEMENTS.
SECTION 403.
PARTNER’S RIGHTS AND DUTIES WITH RESPECT TO
INFORMATION.
SECTION 1001.
STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATION
UNIFORM
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP ACT (2001)
SECTION 110.
EFFECT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; NONWAIVABLE PROVISIONS
SECTION 111.
REQUIRED INFORMATION
SECTION 201.
FORMATION OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP; CERTIFICATE OF
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
SECTION 210.
ANNUAL REPORT FOR [SECRETARY OF STATE].
SECTION 702.
TRANSFER OF PARTNER’S TRANSFERABLE INTEREST
SECTION 809.
ADMINISTRATIVE DISSOLUTION
UNIFORM
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY ACT (2006)
SECTION 110.
OPERATING AGREEMENT; SCOPE, FUNCTION, AND LIMITATIONS.
SECTION 201.
FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; CERTIFICATE
OF ORGANIZATION
SECTION 202.
AMENDMENT OR RESTATEMENT OF CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION
SECTION 209.
ANNUAL REPORT FOR [SECRETARY OF STATE].
SECTION 410. RIGHT
OF MEMBERS, MANAGERS, AND DISSOCIATED MEMBERS TO INFORMATION.
SECTION 502.
TRANSFER OF TRANSFERABLE INTEREST.
SECTION 705.
ADMINISTRATIVE DISSOLUTION
UNIFORM
LIMITED COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION ACT (2007)
SECTION 113.
EFFECT OF ORGANIC RULES
SECTION 114.
REQUIRED INFORMATION
SECTION 207.
ANNUAL REPORT FOR [SECRETARY OF STATE].
SECTION 302.
FORMATION OF LIMITED COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION;
ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION
SECTION 601.
MEMBER’S INTEREST
SECTION 101. DEFINITIONS. In this [Act]:
* * *
(2.1) “Designating partnership” means a limited
liability partnership with 25 or fewer partners.
* * *
(3.1)
“Entity” means a domestic or foreign:
(A) business corporation;
(B) nonprofit corporation;
(C) general partnership, including a limited
liability partnership;
(D) limited partnership, including a limited
liability limited partnership;
(E) limited liability company;
(F) business trust or statutory trust entity;
(G)
unincorporated nonprofit association;
(H)
cooperative; or
(I) other person that has a separate legal
existence or has the power to acquire an interest in real property in its own
name other than:
(i)
an individual;
(ii)
a testamentary, inter vivos, or charitable trust;
(iii)
an association or relationship that is not a partnership solely by reason of
Section 202(c) or a similar provision of the law of any other jurisdiction;
(iv)
a decedent’s estate; or
(v)
a government, a governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or a
quasi-governmental instrumentality.
* * *
(13) “Statement” means a
statement of partnership authority under Section 303, a statement of denial
under Section 304, a statement of dissociation under Section 704, a statement
of dissolution under Section 805, a statement of merger under Section 907, a
statement of qualification under Section 1001, a statement of change under
Section 1001, a statement of foreign qualification under Section 1102, or
an amendment or cancellation of any of the foregoing.
* * *
(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b),
relations among the partners and between the partners and the partnership are
governed by the partnership agreement. To the extent the partnership agreement
does not otherwise provide, this [Act] governs relations among the partners and
between the partners and the partnership.
(b) The partnership agreement may not:
(1) vary the rights and duties under Section
105 except to eliminate the duty to provide copies of statements to all of the
partners;
(2) unreasonably restrict the right of access
to books and records under Section 403(b);
(3) eliminate the duty of loyalty under
Section 404(b) or 603(b)(3), but:
(i) the partnership agreement may
identify specific types or categories of activities that do not violate the
duty of loyalty, if not manifestly unreasonable; or
(ii) all of the partners or a
number or percentage specified in the partnership agreement may authorize or
ratify, after full disclosure of all material facts, a specific act or
transaction that otherwise would violate the duty of loyalty;
(4) unreasonably reduce the duty of care
under Section 404(c) or 603(b)(3);
(5) eliminate the obligation of good faith
and fair dealing under Section 404(d), but the partnership agreement may
prescribe the standards by which the performance of the obligation is to be
measured, if the standards are not manifestly unreasonable;
(6) vary the power to dissociate as a partner
under Section 602(a), except to require the notice under Section 601(1) to be
in writing;
(7) vary the right of a court to expel a
partner in the events specified in Section 601(5);
(8) vary the requirement to wind up the
partnership business in cases specified in Section 801(4), (5), or (6);
(9) vary
the law applicable to a limited liability partnership under Section 106(b); or
(10) restrict rights of third parties under
this [Act]; or
(11) vary the requirements of section
403(d).
(a) A statement may be filed in the office of [the delivered
to the [Secretary of State] for filing. A certified copy of a
statement that is filed in an office in another State may be filed in the office of [the delivered
to the [Secretary of State] for filing. Either filing has the effect
provided in this [Act] with respect to partnership property located in or
transactions that occur in this State.
(b) A certified copy of a statement that has been filed in the office of the [Secretary of State] and recorded in the office for recording transfers of real property has the effect provided for recorded statements in this [Act]. A recorded statement that is not a certified copy of a statement filed in the office of the [Secretary of State] does not have the effect provided for recorded statements in this [Act].
(c) A statement filed delivered to the [Secretary of State] for filing
by a partnership must be executed by at least two partners. Other statements
must be executed by a partner or other person authorized by this [Act]. An
individual who executes a statement as,
or on behalf of, a partner or other person named as a partner in a statement
shall personally declare under penalty of perjury that the contents of the
statement are accurate.
(d) A person authorized by this
[Act] to file deliver a
statement to the [Secretary of State] for filing may amend or cancel the
statement by filing delivering
an amendment or cancellation to the [Secretary of State] for filing that
names the partnership, identifies the statement, and states the substance of
the amendment or cancellation.
(e) A person who files delivers a
statement to the [Secretary of State] for filing pursuant to this
section shall promptly send a copy of the statement to every nonfiling partner
and to any other person named as a partner in the statement. Failure to send a
copy of a statement to a partner or other person does not limit the
effectiveness of the statement as to a person not a partner.
(f) The [Secretary of State] may collect a fee for filing or providing a certified copy of a statement. The [officer responsible for recording transfers of real property] may collect a fee for recording a statement.
(a) A partnership shall keep its books and records, if
any, at its chief executive office.
(b) A partnership shall provide partners and their agents
and attorneys access to its books and records. It shall provide former partners
and their agents and attorneys access to books and records pertaining to the
period during which they were partners. The right of access provides the
opportunity to inspect and copy books and records during ordinary business
hours. A partnership may impose a reasonable charge, covering the costs of labor
and material, for copies of documents furnished.
(c) Each partner and the partnership shall furnish to a
partner, and to the legal representative of a deceased partner or partner under
legal disability:
(1) without demand, any information concerning
the partnership’s business and affairs reasonably required for the proper
exercise of the partner’s rights and duties under the partnership agreement or
this [Act]; and
(2) on demand, any other information
concerning the partnership’s business and affairs, except to the extent the
demand or the information demanded is unreasonable or otherwise improper under
the circumstances.
(d) A limited liability partnership must maintain a
current list in a record showing the full name and last known street and mailing
address of each partner. If the limited
liability partnership is a designating partnership, it must designate and
continuously have an individual whose principal residence is in the United
States who has access to the list. The
list of partners must indicate:
(1) for each partner that is an entity,
the jurisdiction whose laws principally govern its internal affairs;
(2) for each partner that is a
testamentary, inter vivos, or charitable trust, with the exception of a
business trust, statutory trust entity or similar trust:
(A) the name and principal
residence street address of each trustee that is an individual; and
(B) the name and business
street address of each trustee that is not an individual; and
(3) for each partner that is a decedent’s
estate, the name and principal residence street address of each personal
representative of the decedent.
SECTION 1001. STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATION.
(a) A partnership may become a limited liability
partnership pursuant to this section.
(b) The terms and conditions on which a partnership
becomes a limited liability partnership must be approved by the vote necessary
to amend the partnership agreement except, in the case of a partnership
agreement that expressly considers obligations to contribute to the
partnership, the vote necessary to amend those provisions.
(c) After the approval required by subsection (b), a
partnership may become a limited liability partnership by delivering to the
[Secretary of State] for filing a statement of qualification. The statement
must contain:
(1) the name of the partnership;
(2) the street address of the partnership’s
chief executive office and, if different, the street address of an office in
this State, if any;
(3) if the partnership does not have an
office in this State, the name and street address of the partnership’s agent
for service of process;
(3.1) if the partnership is a designating
partnership at the time the statement is
delivered to the [Secretary of State] for filing:
(A) a statement that the partnership
is a designating partnership; and
(B) the name and a residence
or business street address in the United States of the initial individual
designated by the corporation in compliance with section 403(d) who has access
to the list of the partnership’s partners;
(4) a statement that the partnership elects
to be a limited liability partnership; and
(5) a deferred effective date, if any.
(d) The agent of a limited liability partnership for
service of process must be an individual who is a resident of this State or
other person authorized to do business in this State.
(e) The status of a partnership as a limited liability
partnership is effective on the later of the filing of the statement or a date
specified in the statement. The status remains effective, regardless of changes
in the partnership, until it is canceled pursuant to Section 105(d) or revoked
pursuant to Section 1003.
(f) The status of a partnership as a limited liability
partnership and the liability of its partners is not affected by errors or
later changes in the information required to be contained in the statement of
qualification under subsection (c).
(g) The filing of a statement of qualification
establishes that a partnership has satisfied all conditions precedent to the qualification
of the partnership as a limited liability partnership.
(h) An amendment or cancellation of a statement of
qualification is effective when it is filed or on a deferred effective date
specified in the amendment or cancellation.
(i) An agent for service of process or individual
designated to have access to the partnership’s list of partners may at any time
deliver to the [Secretary of State] for filing a statement of change. A filed statement of change amends the
information regarding the agent or individual as shown in the records of the
[Secretary of State]. A statement of change must contain:
(1) the name of the partnership;
(2) if the address of the agent or
individual is to be changed, the new address; and
(3) if the agent or individual is
resigning, a statement to that effect.
(j) An agency for service of process terminates on the
earlier of:
(1) the 31st day after the [Secretary of
State] files a statement of change that contains the provision described in
subsection (i)(3);
(2) when a record designating a new agent
for service or process is delivered to the [Secretary of State] for filing on
behalf of the limited partnership or foreign limited partnership.
(k) A partnership may amend its statement of
qualification to delete the information required by subsection (c)(3) or (3.1)
at any time after it has filed its first annual report under Section 1003 or
has ceased to be a designating partnership.
(l) Subsection (c)(3.1) does not apply to a statement
of qualification that took effect before [the effective date of subsection
(c)(3.1)].
(a) A limited liability partnership, and a foreign
limited liability partnership authorized to transact business in this State, shall file an annual report in the office
of must deliver to the [Secretary of State] for filing an
annual report which contains:
(1) the name of the limited liability
partnership and the State or other jurisdiction under whose laws the foreign
limited liability partnership is formed;
(2) the street address of the partnership’s
chief executive office and, if different, the street address of an office of
the partnership in this State, if any; and
(3) if the partnership does not have an
office in this State, the name and street address of the partnership’s current
agent for service of process; and
(4) a statement as to whether the
partnership is a designating partnership on the date the annual report is
delivered to the [Secretary of State] for filing; and in the case of an annual
report filed by a designating partnership, the name and a residence or business
street address in the United States of the individual designated by the
partnership in compliance with Section 403(d) who has access to the list of the
partnership’s partners.
(b) An annual report must be filed between [January 1 and
April 1] of each year following the calendar year in which a partnership files delivers a
statement of qualification to the [Secretary of State] for filing or a
foreign partnership becomes authorized to transact business in this State.
(c) The [Secretary of State] may revoke the statement of
qualification of a partnership that fails to file deliver an annual report to the [Secretary of
State] for filing when due or pay the required filing fee. To do so, the
[Secretary of State] shall provide the partnership at least 60 days’ written
notice of intent to revoke the statement. The notice must be mailed to the
partnership at its chief executive office set forth in the last filed statement
of qualification or annual report. The notice must specify the annual report
that has not been filed, the fee that has not been paid, and the effective date
of the revocation. The revocation is not effective if the annual report is filed delivered to the
[Secretary of State] for filing and the fee is paid before the effective
date of the revocation.
(d) A revocation under subsection (c) only affects a
partnership’s status as a limited liability partnership and is not an event of
dissolution of the partnership.
(e) A partnership whose statement of qualification has
been revoked may apply to the [Secretary of State] for reinstatement within two
years after the effective date of the revocation. The application must state:
(1) the name of the partnership and the
effective date of the revocation; and
(2) that the ground for revocation either did
not exist or has been corrected.
(f) A reinstatement under subsection (e) relates back to
and takes effect as of the effective date of the revocation, and the
partnership’s status as a limited liability partnership continues as if the
revocation had never occurred.
AMENDMENTS TO
SECTION 102. DEFINITIONS. In this [Act]:
* * *
(4.1) “Designating
partnership” means a limited partnership with 25 or fewer partners.
* * *
(5.1)
“Entity” means a domestic or foreign:
(A) business corporation;
(B) nonprofit corporation;
(C) general partnership, including a limited
liability partnership;
(D) limited partnership, including a limited liability
limited partnership;
(E) limited liability company;
(F) business trust or statutory trust entity;
(G)
unincorporated nonprofit association;
(H)
cooperative; or
(I) other person that has a separate legal
existence or has the power to acquire an interest in real property in its own
name other than:
(i)
an individual;
(ii)
a testamentary, inter vivos, or charitable trust;
(iii)
an association or relationship that is not a partnership solely by reason of
[Section 202(c) of the Uniform Partnership Act (1997)] or a similar provision
of the law of any other jurisdiction;
(iv)
a decedent’s estate; or
(v)
a government, a governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or a
quasi-governmental instrumentality.
* * *
(a) A limited partnership has the powers to do
all things necessary or convenient to carry on its activities, including the
power to sue, be sued, and defend in its own name and to maintain an action
against a partner for harm caused to the limited partnership by a breach of the
partnership agreement or violation of a duty to the partnership.
(b) A limited partnership may not issue a
certificate evidencing the interest of a partner in the limited partnership in
bearer form.
SECTION 110. EFFECT
OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; NONWAIVABLE PROVISIONS.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), the
partnership agreement governs relations among the partners and between the
partners and the partnership. To the extent the partnership agreement does not
otherwise provide, this [Act] governs relations among the partners and between
the partners and the partnership.
(b) A partnership agreement may not:
(1) vary a limited partnership’s power under
Section 105 to sue, be sued, and defend in its own name;
(2) vary the law applicable to a limited
partnership under Section 106;
(3) vary the requirements of Section 204;
(4) vary the information required under
Section 111 or unreasonably restrict the right to information under Sections
304 or 407, but the partnership agreement may impose reasonable restrictions on
the availability and use of information obtained under those sections and may
define appropriate remedies, including liquidated damages, for a breach of any
reasonable restriction on use;
(5) eliminate the duty of loyalty under
Section 408, but the partnership agreement may:
(A) identify specific types or
categories of activities that do not violate the duty of loyalty, if not
manifestly unreasonable; and
(B) specify the number or
percentage of partners which may authorize or ratify, after full disclosure to
all partners of all material facts, a specific act or transaction that
otherwise would violate the duty of loyalty;
(6) unreasonably reduce the duty of care
under Section 408(c);
(7) eliminate the obligation of good faith
and fair dealing under Sections 305(b) and 408(d), but the partnership
agreement may prescribe the standards by which the performance of the
obligation is to be measured, if the standards are not manifestly unreasonable;
(8) vary the power of a person to dissociate
as a general partner under Section 604(a) except to require that the notice
under Section 603(1) be in a record;
(9) vary the power of a court to decree
dissolution in the circumstances specified in Section 802;
(10) vary the requirement to wind up the
partnership’s business as specified in Section 803;
(11) unreasonably restrict the right to
maintain an action under [Article] 10;
(12) restrict the right of a partner under
Section 1110(a) to approve a conversion or merger or the right of a general
partner under Section 1110(b) to consent to an amendment to the certificate of
limited partnership which deletes a statement that the limited partnership is a
limited liability limited partnership; or
(13) restrict rights under this [Act] of a
person other than a partner or a transferee; or
(14) vary the requirements of section
111(b) or (c); or
(15) vary the prohibitions in Sections
105(b) or 702(h) against a limited partnership issuing certificates in bearer
form evidencing a partnership interest or transferable interest.
SECTION 111. REQUIRED
INFORMATION.
(a) A limited partnership shall maintain at its
designated office the following information:
(1) a current list in a record showing
the full name and last known street and mailing address of each partner,
separately identifying the general partners, in alphabetical order, and the
limited partners, in alphabetical order;
(2) a copy of the initial certificate of
limited partnership and all amendments to and restatements of the certificate,
together with signed copies of any powers of attorney under which any
certificate, amendment, or restatement has been signed;
(3) a copy of any filed articles of
conversion or merger;
(4) a copy of the limited partnership’s
federal, state, and local income tax returns and reports, if any, for the three
most recent years;
(5) a copy of any partnership agreement made
in a record and any amendment made in a record to any partnership agreement;
(6) a copy of any financial statement of the
limited partnership for the three most recent years;
(7) a copy of the three most recent annual
reports delivered by the limited partnership to the [Secretary of State]
pursuant to Section 210;
(8) a copy of any record made by the limited
partnership during the past three years of any consent given by or vote taken
of any partner pursuant to this [Act] or the partnership agreement; and
(9) unless contained in a partnership
agreement made in a record, a record stating:
(A) the amount of cash, and a
description and statement of the agreed value of the other benefits,
contributed and agreed to be contributed by each partner;
(B) the times at which, or events
on the happening of which, any additional contributions agreed to be made by
each partner are to be made;
(C) for any person that is both a
general partner and a limited partner, a specification of what transferable
interest the person owns in each capacity; and
(D) any events upon the happening
of which the limited partnership is to be dissolved and its activities wound
up.
(b) The list of partners must indicate:
(1) for each partner that is an entity,
the jurisdiction whose laws principally govern its internal affairs;
(2) for each partner that is a
testamentary, inter vivos, or charitable trust, with the exception of a
business trust, statutory trust entity or similar trust:
(A) the name and principal
residence street address of each trustee that is an individual; and
(B) the name and business
street address of each trustee that is not an individual; and
(3) for each partner that is a decedent’s
estate, the name and principal residence street address of each personal
representative of the decedent.
(c) A designating partnership must designate and
continuously have an individual whose principal residence is in the United
States who has access to the list of partners.
The limited partnership may change the name or address of the individual
in the manner provided in section 115 for changing its agent for service of
process or the address of its agent for service of process as if the individual
and his or her address were the agent for service of process or the address of
that agent. A designated individual may
change his or her address or may resign from the position of designated
individual in the manner provided in section 116 for an agent for service of
process to change its address or resign as if the individual and his or her
address were the agent for service of process or the address of that agent.
SECTION 116.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR RESIGNATION
OF AGENT FOR SERVICE OF PROCESS.
(a) In order to
To change its address or resign as an agent for service of process of a
limited partnership or foreign limited partnership, the agent must deliver to
the [Secretary of State] for filing a statement of resignation change containing:
(1) the name of the limited
partnership or foreign limited partnership.;
(2) the name of the agent;
(3) if the address of the agent is to be
changed, the new address; and
(4) if
the agent is resigning, a statement to that effect.
(b) After
receiving a statement of resignation, the The [Secretary of
State] shall file it a
statement of change delivered under subsection (a) and mail or otherwise
provide or deliver a copy to the designated office of the limited
partnership or foreign limited partnership and another copy to the principal
office of the limited partnership if the mailing address of the
office appears in the records of the [Secretary of State] and is different from
the address of the designated office.
(c) An agency for service of process is terminated terminates on the earlier of:
(1) the 31st day after the [Secretary
of State] files the statement of
resignation a statement of change that contains the provision
described in subsection (a)(4);
(2) when a record designating a new agent
for service or process is delivered to the [Secretary of State] for filing on
behalf of the limited partnership or foreign limited partnership.
SECTION 201. FORMATION OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP; CERTIFICATE
OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP.
(a) In order for a limited partnership to be formed, a
certificate of limited partnership must be delivered to the [Secretary of
State] for filing. The certificate must state:
(1) the name of the limited partnership,
which must comply with Section 108;
(2) the street and mailing address of the
initial designated office and the name and street and mailing address of the
initial agent for service of process;
(3) the name and the street and mailing
address of each general partner;
(4) whether the limited partnership is a
limited liability limited partnership; and
(4.1) if the limited partnership is a
designating partnership:
(A) a statement that the
limited partnership is a designating partnership; and
(B) the name and a residence
or business street address in the United States of the initial individual
designated by the limited partnership in compliance with Section 111(c) who has
access to the list of the partnership’s partners; and
(5) any additional information required by
[Article] 11.
(b) A certificate of limited partnership may also contain
any other matters but may not vary or otherwise affect the provisions specified
in Section 110(b) in a manner inconsistent with that section.
(c) If there has been substantial compliance with
subsection (a), subject to Section 206(c) a limited partnership is formed when
the [Secretary of State] files the certificate of limited partnership.
(d) Subject to subsection (b), if any provision of a
partnership agreement is inconsistent with the filed certificate of limited
partnership or with a filed statement of dissociation, termination, or change
or filed articles of conversion or merger:
(1) the partnership agreement prevails as to
partners and transferees; and
(2) the filed certificate of limited
partnership, statement of dissociation, termination, or change or articles of
conversion or merger prevail as to persons, other than partners and
transferees, that reasonably rely on the filed record to their detriment.
(e) A limited
partnership may amend its certificate of limited partnership to delete the
information required by subsection (a)(4.1) at any time after it has filed its
first annual report under Section 210 or has ceased to be a designating
partnership.
(f) Subsection
(a)(4.1) does not apply to a certificate of limited partnership that took effect
before [the effective date of subsection (a)(4.1)].
(a) A limited partnership or a foreign limited
partnership authorized to transact business in this State shall deliver to the
[Secretary of State] for filing an annual report that states:
(1) the name of the limited partnership or
foreign limited partnership;
(2) the street and mailing address of its
designated office and the name and street and mailing address of its agent for
service of process in this State;
(3) in the case of a limited partnership,:
(A) the street and mailing
address of its principal office; and
(B) a statement as to whether
or not the limited partnership is a designating partnership; and
(C) if the limited partnership
is a designating partnership, the name and a residence or business street
address in the United States of the individual designated by the limited
partnership in compliance with Section 111(c) who has access to the list of the
limited partnership’s partners; and
(4) in the case of a foreign limited
partnership, the State or other jurisdiction under whose law the foreign
limited partnership is formed and any alternate name adopted under Section
905(a).
(b) Information in an annual report must be current as of
the date the annual report is delivered to the [Secretary of State] for filing.
(c) The first annual report must be delivered to the
[Secretary of State] between [January 1 and April 1] of the year following the
calendar year in which a limited partnership was formed or a foreign limited
partnership was authorized to transact business. An annual report must be
delivered to the [Secretary of State] between [January 1 and April 1] of each
subsequent calendar year.
(d) If an annual report does not contain the information
required in subsection (a), the [Secretary of State] shall promptly notify the
reporting limited partnership or foreign limited partnership and return the
report to it for correction. If the report is corrected to contain the
information required in subsection (a) and delivered to the [Secretary of
State] within 30 days after the effective date of the notice, it is timely
delivered.
(e) If a filed annual report contains an address of a
designated office, or
the name or address of an agent for service of process, or the name or
address of the individual with access to the list of partners which differs
from the information shown in the records of the [Secretary of State]
immediately before the filing, the differing information in the annual report
is considered a statement of change under
Section 115.
SECTION 702. TRANSFER OF PARTNER’S TRANSFERABLE INTEREST.
(a) A transfer, in whole or in part,
of a partner’s transferable interest:
(1) is permissible;
(2) does not by itself
cause the partner’s dissociation or a dissolution and winding up of the limited
partnership’s activities; and
(3) does not, as against
the other partners or the limited partnership, entitle the transferee to
participate in the management or conduct of the limited partnership’s
activities, to require access to information concerning the limited
partnership’s transactions except as otherwise provided in subsection (c), or
to inspect or copy the required information or the limited partnership’s other
records.
(b) A transferee has a right to
receive, in accordance with the transfer:
(1) distributions to
which the transferor would otherwise be entitled; and
(2) upon the dissolution
and winding up of the limited partnership’s activities the net amount otherwise
distributable to the transferor.
(c) In a dissolution and winding up,
a transferee is entitled to an account of the limited partnership’s
transactions only from the date of dissolution.
(d) Upon transfer, the transferor
retains the rights of a partner other than the interest in distributions
transferred and retains all duties and obligations of a partner.
(e) A limited partnership need not
give effect to a transferee’s rights under this section until the limited
partnership has notice of the transfer.
(f) A transfer of a partner’s
transferable interest in the limited partnership in violation of a restriction
on transfer contained in the partnership agreement is ineffective as to a
person having notice of the restriction at the time of transfer.
(g) A transferee that becomes a
partner with respect to a transferable interest is liable for the transferor’s
obligations under Sections 502 and 509. However, the transferee is not
obligated for liabilities unknown to the transferee at the time the transferee
became a partner.
(h) A limited partnership may not
issue a certificate evidencing a transferable interest in bearer form.
SECTION 809. ADMINISTRATIVE DISSOLUTION.
(a) The [Secretary of State] may
dissolve a limited partnership administratively if the limited partnership does
not, within 60 days after the due date:
(1) pay any fee, tax, or
penalty due to the [Secretary of State] under this [Act] or other law; or
(2) deliver its annual
report to the [Secretary of State].
(b) If the [Secretary of State]
determines that a ground exists for administratively dissolving a limited
partnership, the [Secretary of State] shall file a record of the determination
and serve the limited partnership with a copy of the filed record.
(c) If within 60 days after service
of the copy the limited partnership does not correct each ground for
dissolution or demonstrate to the reasonable satisfaction of the [Secretary of
State] that each ground determined by the [Secretary of State] does not exist,
the [Secretary of State] shall administratively dissolve the limited
partnership by preparing, signing and filing a declaration of dissolution that
states the grounds for dissolution. The [Secretary of State] shall serve the
limited partnership with a copy of the filed declaration.
(d) A limited partnership
administratively dissolved continues its existence but may carry on only
activities necessary to wind up its activities and liquidate its assets under
Sections 803 and 812 and to notify claimants under Sections 806 and 807.
(e) The administrative dissolution
of a limited partnership does not terminate the authority of its agent for
service of process or relieve it of the obligation to comply with section 111(b)
or (c).
AMENDMENTS TO
SECTION 102.
DEFINITIONS. In this [act]:
* * *
(4.1) “Designating company” means a limited liability
company with 25 or fewer members.
* * *
(6.1)
“Entity” means a domestic or foreign:
(A) business corporation;
(B)
nonprofit corporation;
(C)
general partnership, including a limited liability partnership;
(D)
limited partnership, including a limited liability limited partnership;
(E)
limited liability company;
(F)
business trust or statutory trust entity;
(G) unincorporated nonprofit association;
(H) cooperative; or
(I)
other person that has a separate legal existence or has the power to
acquire an interest in real property in its own name other than:
(i) an individual;
(ii) a testamentary, inter
vivos, or charitable trust;
(iii) an association or
relationship that is not a partnership solely by reason of [Section 202(c) of
the Uniform Partnership Act (1997)] or a similar provision of the law of any
other jurisdiction;
(iv) a decedent’s estate; or
(v) a government, a
governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or a quasi-governmental
instrumentality.
* * *
(a) Except
as otherwise provided in subsections (b) and (c), the operating agreement
governs:
(1)
relations among the members as members and between the members and the limited
liability company;
(2)
the rights and duties under this [act] of a person in the capacity of manager;
(3)
the activities of the company and the conduct of those activities; and
(4)
the means and conditions for amending the operating agreement.
(b) To the
extent the operating agreement does not otherwise provide for a matter
described in subsection (a), this [act] governs the matter.
(c) An
operating agreement may not:
(1)
vary a limited liability company’s capacity under Section 105 to sue and be
sued in its own name;
(2)
vary the law applicable under Section 106;
(3)
vary the power of the court under Section 204;
(4)
subject to subsections (d) through (g), eliminate the duty of loyalty, the duty
of care, or any other fiduciary duty;
(5)
subject to subsections (d) through (g), eliminate the contractual obligation of
good faith and fair dealing under Section 409(d);
(6)
unreasonably restrict the duties and rights stated in Section 410;
(7)
vary the power of a court to decree dissolution in the circumstances specified
in Section 701(a)(4) and (5);
(8)
vary the requirement to wind up a limited liability company’s business as
specified in Section 702(a) and (b)(1);
(9)
unreasonably restrict the right of a member to maintain an action under
[Article] 9;
(10)
restrict the right to approve a merger, conversion, or domestication under
Section 1014 to a member that will have personal liability with respect to a
surviving, converted, or domesticated organization; or
(11)
except as otherwise provided in Section 112(b), restrict the rights under this
[act] of a person other than a member or manager;
(12)
vary the requirements of Section 410(h) or (i); or
(13)
vary the prohibitions in Sections 401(f) or 502(d) against a limited liability
company issuing certificates in bearer form evidencing a membership interest or
transferable interest.
(d) If not
manifestly unreasonable, the operating agreement may:
(1)
restrict or eliminate the duty:
(A)
as required in Section 409(b)(1) and (g), to account to the limited liability
company and to hold as trustee for it any property, profit, or benefit derived
by the member in the conduct or winding up of the company’s business, from a
use by the member of the company’s property, or from the appropriation of a
limited liability company opportunity;
(B)
as required in Section 409(b)(2) and (g), to refrain from dealing with the
company in the conduct or winding up of the company’s business as or on behalf
of a party having an interest adverse to the company; and
(C)
as required by Section 409(b)(3) and (g), to refrain from competing with the
company in the conduct of the company’s business before the dissolution of the
company;
(2)
identify specific types or categories of activities that do not violate the
duty of loyalty;
(3)
alter the duty of care, except to authorize intentional misconduct or knowing
violation of law;
(4)
alter any other fiduciary duty, including eliminating particular aspects of
that duty; and
(5)
prescribe the standards by which to measure the performance of the contractual
obligation of good faith and fair dealing under Section 409(d).
(e) The
operating agreement may specify the method by which a specific act or
transaction that would otherwise violate the duty of loyalty may be authorized
or ratified by one or more disinterested and independent persons after full
disclosure of all material facts.
(f) To the
extent the operating agreement of a member-managed limited liability company
expressly relieves a member of a responsibility that the member would otherwise
have under this [act] and imposes the responsibility on one or more other
members, the operating agreement may, to the benefit of the member that the
operating agreement relieves of the responsibility, also eliminate or limit any
fiduciary duty that would have pertained to the responsibility.
(g) The
operating agreement may alter or eliminate the indemnification for a member or
manager provided by Section 408(a) and may eliminate or limit a member or
manager’s liability to the limited liability company and members for money
damages, except for:
(1)
breach of the duty of loyalty;
(2)
a financial benefit received by the member or manager to which the member or
manager is not entitled;
(3)
a breach of a duty under Section 406;
(4)
intentional infliction of harm on the company or a member; or
(5)
an intentional violation of criminal law.
(h) The
court shall decide any claim under subsection (d) that a term of an operating
agreement is manifestly unreasonable.
The court:
(1)
shall make its determination as of the time the challenged term became part of
the operating agreement and by considering only circumstances existing at that
time; and
(2)
may invalidate the term only if, in light of the purposes and activities of the
limited liability company, it is readily apparent that:
(A)
the objective of the term is unreasonable; or
(B)
the term is an unreasonable means to achieve the provision’s objective.
SECTION 115. CHANGE OF
ADDRESS OR RESIGNATION OF AGENT FOR SERVICE OF PROCESS.
(a) To change its address or resign as an agent
for service of process of a limited liability company or foreign limited
liability company, the agent must deliver to the [Secretary of State] for
filing a statement of resignation
change containing:
(1)
the company name and stating that the
agent is resigning.;
(2) the name of the agent;
(3) if the address of the agent is to be
changed, the new address; and
(4) if the agent is resigning, a statement
to that effect.
(b) The [Secretary of State] shall file a statement of resignation change
delivered under subsection (a) and mail or otherwise provide or deliver a copy
to the designated office of the limited liability company or foreign limited
liability company and another copy to the principal office of the company if
the mailing addresses of the
principal address of the office appears in the records of the
[Secretary of State] and is different from the mailing address of the
designated office.
(c) An agency for service of process terminates on the
earlier of:
(1) the 31st day after the [Secretary of
State] files the a
statement of resignation change
that contains the provision described in subsection (a)(4);
(2)
when a record designating a new agent for service of process is delivered to
the [Secretary of State] for filing on behalf of the limited liability company or
foreign limited liability company and becomes effective.
SECTION 201.
FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; CERTIFICATE OF ORGANIZATION.
(a) One or more persons may act as organizers to form a
limited liability company by signing and delivering to the [Secretary of State]
for filing a certificate of organization.
(b) A certificate of organization must state:
(1) the name of the limited liability
company, which must comply with Section 108;
(2) the street and mailing addresses of the
initial designated office and the name and street and mailing addresses of the
initial agent for service of process of the company; and
(3) if the company will have no members when
the [Secretary of State] files the certificate, a statement to that effect.; and
(4) if the company is a designating
company:
(A) a statement that the
company is a designating company; and
(B) the name and a residence
or business street address in the United States of the initial individual
designated by the company in compliance with Section 410(i) who has access to
the record of the company’s members.
(c) Subject to Section 112(c), a certificate of
organization may also contain statements as to matters other than those
required by subsection (b). However, a
statement in a certificate of organization is not effective as a statement of
authority.
(d) Unless the filed certificate of organization contains
the statement as provided in subsection (b)(3), the following rules apply:
(1) A limited liability company is formed
when the [Secretary of State] has filed the certificate of organization and the
company has at least one member, unless the certificate states a delayed
effective date pursuant to Section 205(c).
(2) If the certificate states a delayed
effective date, a limited liability company is not formed if, before the
certificate takes effect, a statement of cancellation is signed and delivered
to the [Secretary of State] for filing and the [Secretary of State] files the
certificate.
(3) Subject to any delayed effective date and
except in a proceeding by this state to dissolve a limited liability company,
the filing of the certificate of organization by the [Secretary of State] is
conclusive proof that the organizer satisfied all conditions to the formation
of a limited liability company.
(e) If
a filed certificate of organization contains a statement as provided in
subsection (b)(3), the following rules apply:
(1) The certificate lapses and is void
unless, within [90] days from the date the [Secretary of State] files the
certificate, an organizer signs and delivers to the [Secretary of State] for
filing a notice stating:
(A) that the limited liability
company has at least one member; and
(B) the date on which a person or
persons became the company’s initial member or members.
(2) If an organizer complies with paragraph
(1), a limited liability company is deemed formed as of the date of initial
membership stated in the notice delivered pursuant to paragraph (1).
(3) Except in a proceeding by this state to
dissolve a limited liability company, the filing of the notice described in
paragraph (1) by the [Secretary of State] is conclusive proof that the
organizer satisfied all conditions to the formation of a limited liability
company.
(f) Subsection
(b)(4) does not apply to a certificate of organization that took effect before
[the effective date of subsection (b)(4)].
SECTION 202. AMENDMENT OR RESTATEMENT OF CERTIFICATE OF
ORGANIZATION.
(a) A certificate of organization may be amended or
restated at any time.
(b) To amend its certificate of organization, a limited
liability company must deliver to the [Secretary of State] for filing an
amendment stating:
(1) the name of the company;
(2) the date of filing of its certificate of
organization; and
(3) the changes the amendment makes to the
certificate as most recently amended or restated.
(c) To restate its certificate of organization, a limited
liability company must deliver to the [Secretary of State] for filing a
restatement, designated as such in its heading, stating:
(1) in the heading or an introductory
paragraph, the company’s present name and the date of the filing of the
company’s initial certificate of organization;
(2) if the company’s name has been changed at
any time since the company’s formation, each of the company’s former names; and
(3) the changes the restatement makes to the
certificate as most recently amended or restated.
(d) Subject to Sections 112(c) and 205(c), an amendment
to or restatement of a certificate of organization is effective when filed by
the [Secretary of State].
(e) If a member of a member-managed limited liability
company, or a manager of a manager-managed limited liability company, knows
that any information in a filed certificate of organization was inaccurate when
the certificate was filed or has become inaccurate owing to changed
circumstances, the member or manager shall promptly:
(1) cause the certificate to be amended; or
(2) if appropriate, deliver to the [Secretary
of State] for filing a statement of change under Section 114 or a statement of
correction under Section 206.
(f) A limited liability company may amend its
certificate of organization to delete the information required by Section
201(b)(4) at any time after it has filed its first annual report under Section
209 or has ceased to be a designating company.
(a) Each year, a limited liability company or a foreign
limited liability company authorized to transact business in this state shall
deliver to the [Secretary of State] for filing a report that states:
(1) the name of the company;
(2) the street and mailing addresses of the
company’s designated office and the name and street and mailing addresses of
its agent for service of process in this state;
(3) the street and mailing addresses of its
principal office; and
(3.1) a statement as to whether the
company is a designating company; and in the case of an annual report filed by
a designating company, the name and a residence or business address in the
United States of the individual with access to the list of members required by
Section 410(i); and
(4) in the case of a foreign limited
liability company, the state or other jurisdiction under whose law the company
is formed and any alternate name adopted under Section 805(a).
(b) Information in an annual report under this section
must be current as of the date the report is delivered to the [Secretary of
State] for filing.
(c) The first annual report under this section must be
delivered to the [Secretary of State] between [January 1 and April 1] of the
year following the calendar year in which a limited liability company was
formed or a foreign limited liability company was authorized to transact
business. A report must be delivered to
the [Secretary of State] between [January 1 and April 1] of each subsequent
calendar year.
(d) If an annual report under this section does not
contain the information required in subsection (a), the [Secretary of State]
shall promptly notify the reporting limited liability company or foreign
limited liability company and return the report to it for correction. If the report is corrected to contain the
information required in subsection (a) and delivered to the [Secretary of
State] within 30 days after the effective date of the notice, it is timely
delivered.
(e) If an
a filed annual report under
this section contains an address of a designated office, or the name or address of an
agent for service of process, or name or address of an individual with
access to the list of members which differs from the information shown in
the records of the [Secretary of State] immediately before the annual report becomes effective filing,
the differing information in the annual report is considered a statement of
change under Section 114.
(a) If a limited
liability company is to have only one member upon formation, the person becomes
a member as agreed by that person and the organizer of the company. That person and the organizer may be, but
need not be, different persons. If
different, the organizer acts on behalf of the initial member.
(b) If a limited
liability company is to have more than one member upon formation, those persons
become members as agreed by the persons before the formation of the
company. The organizer acts on behalf of
the persons in forming the company and may be, but need not be, one of the
persons.
(c) If a filed
certificate of organization contains the statement required by Section
201(b)(3), a person becomes an initial member of the limited liability company
with the consent of a majority of the organizers. The organizers may consent to more than one
person simultaneously becoming the company’s initial members.
(d) After formation of a
limited liability company, a person becomes a member:
(1) as
provided in the operating agreement;
(2) as the
result of a transaction effective under [Article] 10;
(3) with the
consent of all the members; or
(4) if,
within 90 consecutive days after the company ceases to have any members:
(A)
the last person to have been a member, or the legal representative of that
person, designates a person to become a member; and
(B)
the designated person consents to become a member.
(e) A person may become
a member without acquiring a transferable interest and without making or being
obligated to make a contribution to the limited liability company.
(f) A limited
liability company may not issue a certificate in bearer form evidencing the
interest of a member in the company.
(a) In a member-managed limited liability company, the
following rules apply:
(1) On reasonable notice, a member may
inspect and copy during regular business hours, at a reasonable location
specified by the company, any record maintained by the company regarding the
company’s activities, financial condition, and other circumstances, to the
extent the information is material to the member’s rights and duties under the
operating agreement or this [act].
(2) The company shall furnish to each member:
(A) without demand, any
information concerning the company’s activities, financial condition, and other
circumstances which the company knows and is material to the proper exercise of the member’s rights and
duties under the operating agreement or this [act], except to the extent the
company can establish that it reasonably believes the member already knows the
information; and
(B) on demand, any other
information concerning the company’s activities, financial condition, and other
circumstances, except to the extent the demand or information demanded is
unreasonable or otherwise improper under the circumstances.
(3) The duty to furnish information under
paragraph (2) also applies to each member to the extent the member knows any of
the information described in paragraph (2).
(b) In a manager-managed limited liability company, the
following rules apply:
(1) The informational rights stated in
subsection (a) and the duty stated in subsection (a)(3) apply to the managers
and not the members.
(2) During regular business hours and at a
reasonable location specified by the company, a member may obtain from the
company and inspect and copy full information regarding the activities,
financial condition, and other circumstances of the company as is just and
reasonable if:
(A) the member seeks the
information for a purpose material to the member’s interest as a member;
(B) the member makes a demand in
a record received by the company, describing with reasonable particularity the
information sought and the purpose for seeking the information; and
(C) the information sought is
directly connected to the member’s purpose.
(3) Within 10 days after receiving a demand
pursuant to paragraph (2)(B), the company shall in a record inform the member
that made the demand:
(A) of the information that the
company will provide in response to the demand and when and where the company
will provide the information; and
(B) if the company declines to
provide any demanded information, the company’s reasons for declining.
(4) Whenever this [act] or an operating
agreement provides for a member to give or withhold consent to a matter, before
the consent is given or withheld, the company shall, without demand, provide
the member with all information that is known to the company and is material to
the member’s decision.
(c) On 10 days’ demand made in a record received by a
limited liability company, a dissociated member may have access to information
to which the person was entitled while a member if the information pertains to
the period during which the person was a member, the person seeks the
information in good faith, and the person satisfies the requirements imposed on
a member by subsection (b)(2). The
company shall respond to a demand made pursuant to this subsection in the
manner provided in subsection (b)(3).
(d) A limited liability company may charge a person that
makes a demand under this section the reasonable costs of copying, limited to
the costs of labor and material.
(e) A member or dissociated member may exercise rights
under this section through an agent or, in the case of an individual under
legal disability, a legal representative.
Any restriction or condition imposed by the operating agreement or under
subsection (g) applies both to the agent or legal representative and the member
or dissociated member.
(f) The rights under this section do not extend to a
person as transferee.
(g) In addition to any restriction or condition stated in
its operating agreement, a limited liability company, as a matter within the
ordinary course of its activities, may impose reasonable restrictions and
conditions on access to and use of information to be furnished under this
section, including designating information confidential and imposing
nondisclosure and safeguarding obligations on the recipient. In a dispute concerning the reasonableness of
a restriction under this subsection, the company has the burden of proving
reasonableness.
(h) A limited liability company must maintain a
current list in a record showing the full name and last known street and
mailing address of each member in alphabetical order. The list of members must indicate:
(1) for each member that is an entity, the
jurisdiction whose laws principally govern its internal affairs;
(2) for each member that is a
testamentary, inter vivos, or charitable trust:
(A) the name and principal
residence street address of each trustee that is an individual; and
(B) the name and business
street address of each trustee that is not an individual; and
(3) for each member that is a decedent’s
estate, the name and principal residence street address of each personal
representative of the decedent.
(i) The company must designate and continuously have
an individual whose principal residence is in the United States who has access
to the list. The company may change the
name or address of the individual in the manner provided in Section 114 for
changing its agent for service of process or the address of its agent for
service of process as if the individual and his or her address were the agent
for service of process or the address of the agent. A designated individual may change his or her
address or may resign from the position of designated individual in the manner
provided in Section 115 for an agent for service of process to change its
address or resign as if the individual and his or her address were the agent
for service of process or the address of that agent.
(a) A transfer, in whole
or in part, of a transferable interest:
(1) is
permissible;
(2) does not
by itself cause a member’s dissociation or a dissolution and winding up of the
limited liability company’s activities; and
(3) subject
to Section 504, does not entitle the transferee to:
(A)
participate in the management or conduct of the company’s activities; or
(B)
except as otherwise provided in subsection (c), have access to records or other
information concerning the company’s activities.
(b) A transferee has the
right to receive, in accordance with the transfer, distributions to which the
transferor would otherwise be entitled.
(c) In a dissolution and
winding up of a limited liability company, a transferee is entitled to an
account of the company’s transactions only from the date of dissolution.
(d) A transferable
interest may be evidenced by a certificate of the interest issued by the
limited liability company in a record, and, subject to this section, the
interest represented by the certificate may be transferred by a transfer of the
certificate. A company may not issue
a certificate in bearer form.
(e) A limited liability
company need not give effect to a transferee’s rights under this section until
the company has notice of the transfer.
(f) A transfer of a
transferable interest in violation of a restriction on transfer contained in
the operating agreement is ineffective as to a person having notice of the
restriction at the time of transfer.
(g) Except as otherwise
provided in Section 602(4)(B), when a member transfers a transferable interest,
the transferor retains the rights of a member other than the interest in
distributions transferred and retains all duties and obligations of a member.
(h) When a member
transfers a transferable interest to a person that becomes a member with
respect to the transferred interest, the transferee is liable for the member’s
obligations under Sections 403 and 406(c) known to the transferee when the
transferee becomes a member.
SECTION 705.
ADMINISTRATIVE DISSOLUTION.
(a) The [Secretary of
State] may dissolve a limited liability company administratively if the company
does not:
(1) pay,
within 60 days after the due date, any fee, tax, or penalty due to the
[Secretary of State] under this [act] or law other than this [act]; or
(2) deliver,
within 60 days after the due date, its annual report to the [Secretary of
State].
(b) If the [Secretary of
State] determines that a ground exists for administratively dissolving a
limited liability company, the [Secretary of State] shall file a record of the
determination and serve the company with a copy of the filed record.
(c) If within 60 days
after service of the copy pursuant to subsection (b) a limited liability
company does not correct each ground for dissolution or demonstrate to the
reasonable satisfaction of the [Secretary of State] that each ground determined
by the [Secretary of State] does not exist, the [Secretary of State] shall
dissolve the company administratively by preparing, signing, and filing a
declaration of dissolution that states the grounds for dissolution. The [Secretary of State] shall serve the
company with a copy of the filed declaration.
(d) A limited liability
company that has been administratively dissolved continues in existence but,
subject to Section 706, may carry on only activities necessary to wind up its
activities and liquidate its assets under Sections 702 and 708 and to notify
claimants under Sections 703 and 704.
(e) The administrative
dissolution of a limited liability company does not terminate the authority of
its agent for service of process or relieve it of the obligation to comply
with Section 410(h) or (i).
AMENDMENTS TO
SECTION 102.
DEFINITIONS. In this [act]:
* * *
(7.1)
“Designating association” means a limited cooperative association with
25 or fewer members.
* * *
(10) “Entity”
means a person other than an
individual. domestic or foreign:
(A) business corporation;
(B) nonprofit corporation;
(C) general partnership, including a limited
liability partnership;
(D) limited partnership, including a limited
liability limited partnership;
(E) limited liability company;
(F) business trust or statutory trust entity;
(G)
unincorporated nonprofit association;
(H)
cooperative; or
(I) other person that has a separate legal
existence or has the power to acquire an interest in real property in its own
name other than:
(i)
an individual;
(ii)
a testamentary, inter vivos, or charitable trust;
(iii)
an association or relationship that is not a partnership solely by reason of
[Section 202(c) of the Uniform Partnership Act (1997)] or a similar provision
of the law of any other jurisdiction;
(iv)
a decedent’s estate; or
(v)
a government, a governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or a
quasi-governmental instrumentality.
* * *
SECTION 113. EFFECT
OF ORGANIC RULES.
(a) The relations
between a limited cooperative association and its members are consensual.
Unless required, limited, or prohibited by this [act], the organic rules may provide
for any matter concerning the relations among the members of the association
and between the members and the association, the activities of the association,
and the conduct of its activities.
(b) The matters
referred to in paragraphs (1) through [(9)] [(11)] may be varied only in the
articles of organization. The articles may:
(1) state a term of existence for the
association under Section 105(c);
(2) limit or eliminate the acceptance of new
or additional members by the initial board of directors under Section 303(b);
(3)
vary the limitations on the obligations and liability of members for
association obligations under Section 504;
(4)
require a notice of an annual members meeting to state a purpose of the
meeting under Section 508(b);
(5)
vary the board of directors meeting quorum under Section 815(a);
(6)
vary the matters the board of directors may consider in making a
decision under Section 820;
(7)
specify causes of dissolution under Section 1202(1);
(8)
delegate amendment of the bylaws to the board of directors pursuant to
Section 405(f);
(9)
provide for member approval of asset dispositions under Section 1501;
[and]
[[(10)]
subject to Section 820, provide for the elimination or limitation of
liability of a director to the association or its members for money damages
pursuant to Section 818;
[(11)]
provide for permitting or making obligatory indemnification under
Section 901(a); and]
[(10)] [(12)]
provide for any matters that may be contained in the organic rules,
including those under subsection (c).
(c) The matters
referred to in paragraphs (1) through (25) may be varied only in the organic
rules. The organic rules may:
(1)
require more information to be maintained under Section 114 or provided
to members under Section 505(k);
(2)
provide restrictions on transactions between a member and an association
under Section 115;
(3) provide for the percentage and manner of
voting on amendments to the organic rules by district, class, or voting group
under Section 404(a);
(4)
provide for the percentage vote required to amend the bylaws concerning
the admission of new members under Section 405(e)(5);
(5)
provide for terms and conditions to become a member under Section 502;
(6)
restrict the manner of conducting members meetings under Sections 506(c)
and 507(e);
(7)
designate the presiding officer of members meetings under Sections
506(e) and 507(g);
(8)
require a statement of purposes in the annual meeting notice under
Section 508(b);
(9)
increase quorum requirements for members meetings under Section 510 and
board of directors meetings under Section 815;
(10)
allocate voting power among members, including patron members and
investor members, and provide for the manner of member voting and action as
permitted by Sections 511 through 517;
(11)
authorize investor members and expand or restrict the transferability of
members’ interests to the extent provided in Sections 602 through 604;
(12)
provide for enforcement of a marketing contract under Section 704(a);
(13)
provide for qualification, election, terms, removal, filling vacancies,
and member approval for compensation of directors in accordance with Sections
803 through 805, 807, 809, and 810;
(14)
restrict the manner of conducting board meetings and taking action
without a meeting under Sections 811 and 812;
(15)
provide for frequency, location, notice and waivers of notice for board
meetings under Sections 813 and 814;
(16)
increase the percentage of votes necessary for board action under
Section 816(b);
(17)
provide for the creation of committees of the board of directors and
matters related to the committees in accordance with Section 817;
(18)
provide for officers and their appointment, designation, and authority
under Section 822;
(19)
provide for forms and values of contributions under Section 1002;
(20) provide for remedies for failure to make
a contribution under Section 1003(b);
(21)
provide for the allocation of profits and losses of the association,
distributions, and the redemption or repurchase of distributed property other
than money in accordance with Sections 1004 through 1007;
(22)
specify when a member’s dissociation is wrongful and the liability
incurred by the dissociating member for damage to the association under Section
1101(b) and (c);
(23)
provide the personal representative, or other legal representative of, a
deceased member or a member adjudged incompetent with additional rights under
Section 1103;
(24)
increase the percentage of votes required for board of director approval
of:
(A) a resolution to dissolve under Section
1205(a)(1);
(B) a proposed amendment to the organic rules
under Section 402(a)(1);
(C) a plan of conversion under Section 1603(a);
(D) a plan of merger under Section 1607(a); and
(E) a proposed disposition of assets under
Section 1503(1); and
(25)
vary the percentage of votes required for members approval of:
(A) a resolution to dissolve under Section 1205;
(B) an amendment to the organic rules under
Section 405;
(C) a plan of conversion under Section 1603;
(D) a plan of merger under Section 1608; and
(E) a disposition of assets under Section 1504.
(d) The organic
rules must address members’ contributions pursuant to Section 1001.
(e) The organic
rules may not:
(1) vary the requirements of Section 114(d)
or (e); or
(2) vary the prohibitions in Sections 601(b)
or 603(i) against an association issuing certificates in bearer form evidencing
a membership interest or financial rights.
SECTION 114. REQUIRED
INFORMATION.
(a) Subject to
subsection (b), a limited cooperative association shall maintain in a record
available at its principal office:
(1) a
list containing the name, last known street address and, if different, mailing
address, and term of office of each director and officer;
(2)
the initial articles of organization and all amendments to and
restatements of the articles, together with a signed copy of any power of
attorney under which any article, amendment, or restatement has been signed;
(3)
the initial bylaws and all amendments to and restatements of the bylaws;
(4)
all filed articles of merger and statements of conversion;
(5)
all financial statements of the association for the six most recent
years;
(6)
the six most recent annual reports delivered by the association to the
[Secretary of State];
(7)
the minutes of members meetings for the six most recent years;
(8)
evidence of all actions taken by members without a meeting for the six
most recent years;
(9) a
list containing:
(A) the name, in alphabetical order, and last
known street address and, if different, mailing address of each patron member
and each investor member; and
(B) if the association has districts or classes
of members, information from which each current member in a district or class
may be identified;
(10)
the federal income tax returns, any state and local income tax returns,
and any tax reports of the association for the six most recent years;
(11)
accounting records maintained by the association in the ordinary course
of its operations for the six most recent years;
(12)
the minutes of directors meetings for the six most recent years;
(13)
evidence of all actions taken by directors without a meeting for the six
most recent years;
(14)
the amount of money contributed and agreed to be contributed by each
member;
(15) a
description and statement of the agreed value of contributions other than money
made and agreed to be made by each member;
(16)
the times at which, or events on the happening of which, any additional
contribution is to be made by each member;
(17)
for each member, a description and statement of the member’s interest or
information from which the description and statement can be derived; and
(18)
all communications concerning the association made in a record to all
members, or to all members in a district or class, for the six most recent
years.
(b) If a limited
cooperative association has existed for less than the period for which records
must be maintained under subsection (a), the period records must be kept is the
period of the association’s existence.
(c) The organic
rules may require that more information be maintained.
(d) The list of
members maintained pursuant to subsection (a)(9) must indicate:
(1) for each member that is an entity, the
jurisdiction whose laws principally govern its internal affairs;
(2) for each member that is a
testamentary, inter vivos, or charitable trust:
(A) the name and principal
residence street address of each trustee that is an individual; and
(B) the name and business
street address of each trustee that is not an individual; and
(3) for each member that is a decedent’s
estate, the name and principal residence street address of each personal
representative of the decedent.
(e) A limited cooperative association must designate
and continuously have an individual whose principal residence is in the United
States who has access to the list of its members. The association may change the name or
address of the individual in the manner provided in Section 118 for changing
its agent for service of process or the address of its agent for service of
process as if the individual and his or her address were the agent for service
of process or the address of the agent.
A designated individual may change his or her address or may resign from
the position of designated individual in the manner provided in Section 119 for
an agent for service of process to change its address or resign as if the
individual and his or her address were the agent for service of process or the
address of that agent.
SECTION 119. CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR RESIGNATION OF AGENT FOR SERVICE OF PROCESS.
(a)
To change its address or resign as an agent for service of process of a
limited cooperative association or foreign cooperative, the agent must deliver
to the [Secretary of State] for filing a statement of resignation change containing:
(1) the
name of the agent and;
(2) the name of the association or foreign cooperative
(3) if
the address of the agent is to be changed, the new address; and
(4) if the agent is resigning, a statement to that effect.
(b)
After receiving a statement of
resignation under subsection (a), the The [Secretary of State]
shall file it a statement
of change delivered under subsection (a) and mail or otherwise provide or
deliver a copy to the limited cooperative association or foreign cooperative at
its principal office.
(c) An agency for service of process of a limited cooperative association or foreign cooperative terminates on the earlier of:
(1) the 31st day after the [Secretary of State] files a statement of resignation under subsection (b) change that contains the provision described in subsection (a)(4); or
(2) when a record designating a new agent for service of process is delivered to the [Secretary of State] for filing on behalf of the association or foreign cooperative and becomes effective.
(a) A limited
cooperative association or foreign cooperative authorized to transact business
in this state shall deliver to the [Secretary of State] for filing an annual
report that states:
(1)
the name of the association or foreign cooperative;
(2)
the street address and, if different, mailing address of the
association’s or foreign cooperative’s designated office and the name of its
agent for service of process at the designated office;
(3)
the street address and, if different, mailing address of the
association’s or foreign cooperative’s principal office; and
(3.1) a statement as to whether the
association is a designating association; and in the case of an annual report
filed by a designating association, the name and a residence or business street
address in the United States of the individual with access to the list of member
required by Section 114(e); and
(4) in
the case of a foreign cooperative, the state or other jurisdiction under whose
law the foreign cooperative is formed and any alternative name adopted under
Section 1405.
(b) Information in
an annual report must be current as of the date the report is delivered to the
[Secretary of State].
(c) The first
annual report must be delivered to the [Secretary of State] between [January 1
and April 1] of the year following the calendar year in which the limited cooperative
association is formed or the foreign cooperative is authorized to transact
business in this state. An annual report
must be delivered to the [Secretary of State] between [January 1 and April 1]
of each subsequent calendar year.
(d) If an annual
report does not contain the information required by subsection (a), the
[Secretary of State] shall promptly notify the reporting limited cooperative
association or foreign cooperative and return the report for correction. If the report is corrected to contain the
information required by subsection (a) and delivered to the [Secretary of
State] not later than 30 days after the date of the notice from the [Secretary
of State], it is timely delivered.
(e) If a filed
annual report contains an address of the designated office, name of the agent
for service of process, or
address of the principal office, or name or address of the individual with
access to the list of members which differs from the information shown in
the records of the [Secretary of State] immediately before the filing, the
differing information in the annual report is considered a statement of change.
(f) If a limited
cooperative association fails to deliver an annual report under this section,
the [Secretary of State] may proceed under Section 1211 to dissolve the
association administratively.
(g) If a foreign
cooperative fails to deliver an annual report under this section, the
[Secretary of State] may revoke the certificate of authority of the
cooperative.
SECTION 302.
FORMATION OF LIMITED COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION; ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION.
(a) To form a
limited cooperative association, an organizer of the association must deliver
articles of organization to the [Secretary of State] for filing. The articles must state:
(1)
the name of the association;
(2)
the purposes for which the association is formed;
(3)
the street address and, if different, mailing address of the
association’s initial designated office and the name of the association’s
initial agent for service of process at the designated office;
(4)
the street address and, if different, mailing address of the initial
principal office;
(5)
the name and street address and, if different, mailing address of each
organizer; and
(6)
the term for which the association is to exist if other than perpetual;
and
(7) if the association is a designating
association:
(A) a statement that the
association is a designating association; and
(B) the name and a residence
or business street address in the United States of the initial individual
designated by the association in compliance with Section 114(e) who has access
to the record of the association’s members.
(b) Subject to
Section 113(a), articles of organization may contain any other provisions in
addition to those required by subsection (a).
(c) A limited
cooperative association is formed after articles of organization that
substantially comply with subsection (a) are delivered to the [Secretary of
State], are filed, and become effective under Section 203(c).
(d) If articles of
organization filed by the [Secretary of State] state a delayed effective date,
a limited cooperative association is not formed if, before the articles take
effect, an organizer signs and delivers to the [Secretary of State] for filing
a statement of cancellation.
(e) A limited
cooperative association may amend its articles of organization to delete the
information required by subsection (a)(7) at any time after it has filed its
first annual report under Section 207 or has ceased to be a designating
association.
(f) Subsection (a)(7) does not apply to articles
of organization that took effect before [the effective date of subsection (a)(7)].
SECTION 601. MEMBER’S
INTEREST.
(a) A
member’s interest:
(1) is
personal property;
(2)
consists of:
(A) governance rights;
(B) financial rights; and
(C) the right or obligation, if any, to do business
with the limited cooperative association; and
(3)
may be in certificated or uncertificated form.
(b) A limited
cooperative association may not issue a certificate evidencing a members’
interest in bearer form.
SECTION 603.
TRANSFERABILITY OF MEMBER’S INTEREST.
(a) The provisions
of this [act] relating to the transferability of a member’s interest are
subject to [reference to Uniform Commercial Code].
(b) Unless the
organic rules otherwise provide, a member’s interest other than financial
rights is not transferable.
(c) Unless a
transfer is restricted or prohibited by the organic rules, a member may
transfer its financial rights in the limited cooperative association.
(d) The terms of
any restriction on transferability of financial rights must be:
(1)
set forth in the organic rules and the member records of the
association; and
(2)
conspicuously noted on any certificates evidencing a member’s interest.
(e) A transferee
of a member’s financial rights, to the extent the rights are transferred, has
the right to share in the allocation of profits or losses and to receive the
distributions to the member transferring the interest to the same extent as the
transferring member.
(f) A transferee
of a member’s financial rights does not become a member upon transfer of the
rights unless the transferee is admitted as a member by the limited cooperative
association.
(g) A limited
cooperative association need not give effect to a transfer under this section
until the association has notice of the transfer.
(h) A transfer of
a member’s financial rights in violation of a restriction on transfer contained
in the organic rules is ineffective as to a person having notice of the restriction
at the time of transfer.
(i) A limited
cooperative association may not issue a certificate evidencing financial rights
in bearer form.
SECTION 1211.
ADMINISTRATIVE DISSOLUTION.
(a) The [Secretary
of State] may dissolve a limited cooperative association administratively if
the association does not:
(1)
pay, not later than 60 days after the due date, any fee, tax, or penalty
due to the [Secretary of State] under this [act] [or other law]; or
(2)
deliver not later than 60 days after the due date its annual report to
the [Secretary of State].
(b) If the
[Secretary of State] determines that a ground exists for dissolving a limited
cooperative association administratively, the [Secretary of State] shall file a
record of the determination and serve the association with a copy of the
record.
(c) If, not later
than 60 days after service of a copy of the [Secretary of State’s]
determination under subsection (b), the association does not correct each
ground for dissolution or demonstrate to the satisfaction of the [Secretary of
State] that each uncorrected ground determined by the [Secretary of State] does
not exist, the [Secretary of State] shall dissolve the association
administratively by preparing and filing a declaration of dissolution which
states the grounds for dissolution. The [Secretary of State] shall serve the
association with a copy of the declaration.
(d) A limited
cooperative association that has been dissolved administratively continues its
existence only for purposes of winding up its activities.
(e) The
administrative dissolution of a limited cooperative association does not
terminate the authority of its agent for service of process or relieve it of
the obligation to comply with Section 114(d) or (e).