Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title XXII Chapter 176
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 176, § 3 (2026)

Representative form of government

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 3. A society has a representative form of government when:

(a) it has a supreme governing body constituted in one of the following ways:

(1) The supreme governing body is an assembly composed of delegates elected directly by the members or at intermediate assemblies or conventions of members or their representatives, together with other delegates as may be prescribed in the society's laws. A society may provide for election of delegates by mail. The elected delegates shall constitute a majority in number and shall not have less than two-thirds of the votes and not less than the number of votes required to amend the society's laws. The assembly shall be elected and shall meet at least once every four years and shall elect a board of directors to conduct the business of the society between meetings of the assembly. Vacancies on the board of directors between elections may be filled in the manner prescribed by the society's laws.

(2) The supreme governing body is a board composed of persons elected by the members, either directly or by their representatives in intermediate assemblies, and any other persons prescribed in the society's laws. A society may provide for election of the board by mail. Each term of a board may be filled in the manner prescribed by the society's laws. Those persons elected to the board shall constitute a majority in number and not less than the number of votes required to amend the society's laws. A person filling the unexpired term of an elected board member shall be considered to be an elected member. The board shall meet at least quarterly to conduct the business of the society.

(b) the officers of the society are elected whether by the supreme governing body or by the board of directors.

(c) only benefit members are eligible for election to the supreme governing body, the board of directors or any intermediate assembly.

(d) each voting member shall have one vote and no vote may be cast by proxy.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3 cases, 1989–2010 · leading case: Rhodes v. AIG Dom. Claims, Inc., 937 N.E.2d 471 (Mass. App. Ct. 2010).
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Rhodes v. AIG Dom. Claims, Inc., 937 N.E.2d 471 (Mass. App. Ct. 2010). “5 million ended the G. L. c. 176, § 3(9)(/), pretrial violation, the majority approach, I believe, obscures the fundamental differences between accepted versus rejected pretrial settlement offer cases.”
Do-Souto v. Royal Ins. Co. of Am., 1992 Mass. App. Div. 30 (Mass. Dist. Ct., App. Div. 1992). “Assuming, arguendo, that the insurer violated G.L.c. 176, §§3(9)(b),(d),(e), and (n), the plaintiff must still show that he has been injured by such violation.”
Roche v. Zurich Ins., 1989 A.M.C. 1826 (Mass. Dist. Ct., App. Div. 1989). “G.L. c. 176, §3 (9) states that “... an unfair claims settlement practice shall consist of the following acts or omissions; (d) refusing to pay claims without conducting a reasonable investigation based upon all available information.”
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 176, § 3(9) — 1 case
Rhodes v. AIG Dom. Claims, Inc., 937 N.E.2d 471 (Mass. App. Ct. 2010). “5 million ended the G. L. c. 176, § 3(9)(/), pretrial violation, the majority approach, I believe, obscures the fundamental differences between accepted versus rejected pretrial settlement offer cases.”
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 176, § 3(9)(b) — 1 case
Do-Souto v. Royal Ins. Co. of Am., 1992 Mass. App. Div. 30 (Mass. Dist. Ct., App. Div. 1992). “Assuming, arguendo, that the insurer violated G.L.c. 176, §§3(9)(b),(d),(e), and (n), the plaintiff must still show that he has been injured by such violation.”
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