 The BSA holds a Congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code , which means that it is one of the comparatively rare " Title 36 " corporations in the United States . The 1916 statute of incorporation established this institution amongst a small number of other patriotic and national organizations which are similarly chartered , such as the Girl Scouts of the USA , the American Legion , the Red Cross , Little League Baseball , and the National Academy of Sciences . The federal incorporation was originally construed primarily as an honor , however it does grant the chartered organization some special privileges and rights , including freedom from antitrust and monopoly regulation , and complete control over the organization 's symbols and insignia . The special recognition neither implies nor accords Congress any special control over the BSA , which remains free to function independently . 
