[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 177 (Thursday, November 9, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S16934-S16935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HISTORIC CHATTAHOOCHEE COMPACT AMENDMENT

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar No. 218, S. 848.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will state the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 848) to grant the consent of Congress to an 
     amendment of the Historic Chattahoochee compact between the 
     States of Alabama and Georgia.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the bill?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
deemed read the third time, passed, and the motion to reconsider be 
laid upon the table and that any statements relating to the bill be 
placed at the appropriate place in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

[[Page S 16935]]

  So the bill (S. 848) was deemed read the third time, and passed, as 
follows:

                                 S. 848

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

 SECTION 1. CONSENT OF CONGRESS TO THE HISTORIC CHATTAHOOCHEE COMPACT 
               BETWEEN THE STATES OF ALABAMA AND GEORGIA.

       The consent of Congress is given to the amendment of 
     articles I, II, and III of the Historic Chattahoochee Compact 
     between the States of Alabama and Georgia, which articles, as 
     amended, read as follows:


                              ``article i

       ``The purpose of this compact is to promote the cooperative 
     development of the Chattahoochee valley's full potential for 
     historic preservation and tourism and to establish a joint 
     interstate authority to assist in these efforts.


                              ``article ii

       ``This compact shall become effective immediately as to the 
     States ratifying it whenever the States of Alabama and 
     Georgia have ratified it and Congress has given consent 
     thereto.


                             ``article iii

       ``The States which are parties to this compact (hereinafter 
     referred to as `party States') do hereby establish and create 
     a joint agency which shall be known as the Historic 
     Chattahoochee Commission (hereinafter referred to as the 
     `Commission'). The Commission shall consist of 28 members who 
     shall be bona fide residents and qualified voters of the 
     party States and counties served by the Commission. Election 
     for vacant seats shall be by majority vote of the voting 
     members of the Commission board at a regularly scheduled 
     meeting. In Alabama, two shall be residents of Barbour 
     County, two shall be residents of Russell County, two shall 
     be residents of Henry County, two shall be residents of 
     Chambers County, two shall be residents of Lee County, two 
     shall be residents of Houston County, and two shall be 
     residents of Dale County. In Georgia, one shall be a resident 
     of Troup County, one shall be a resident of Harris County, 
     one shall be a resident of Muscogee County, one shall be a 
     resident of Chattahoochee County, one shall be a resident of 
     Stewart County, one shall be a resident of Randolph County, 
     one shall be a resident of Clay County, one shall be a 
     resident of Quitman County, one shall be a resident of Early 
     County, one shall be a resident of Seminole County, and one 
     shall be a resident of Decatur County. In addition, there 
     shall be three at-large members who shall be selected from 
     any three of the Georgia member counties listed above. The 
     Commission at its discretion may appoint as many advisory 
     members as it deems necessary from any Georgia or Alabama 
     County which is located in the Chattahoochee Valley area. The 
     contribution of each party State shall be in equal amounts. 
     If the party States fail to appropriate equal amounts to the 
     Commission during any given fiscal year, voting membership on 
     the Commission board shall be determined as follows: The 
     State making the larger appropriation shall be entitled to 
     full voting membership. The total number of members from 
     the other State shall be divided into the amount of the 
     larger appropriation and the resulting quotient shall be 
     divided into the amount of the smaller appropriation. The 
     then resulting quotient, rounded to the next lowest whole 
     number, shall be the number of voting members from the 
     State making the smaller contribution. The members of the 
     Commission from the State making the larger contribution 
     shall decide which of the members from the other State 
     shall serve as voting members, based upon the level of 
     tourism, preservation, promotional activity, and general 
     support of the Commission's activities by and in the 
     county of residence of each of the members of the State 
     making the smaller appropriation. Such determination shall 
     be made at the next meeting of the Commission following 
     September 30 of each year. Members of the Commission shall 
     serve for terms of office as follows: Of the 14 Alabama 
     members, one from each of said counties shall serve for 
     two years and the remaining member of each county shall 
     serve for four years. Upon the expiration of the original 
     terms of office of Alabama members, all successor Alabama 
     members shall be appointed for four-year terms of office, 
     with seven vacancies in the Alabama membership occurring 
     every two years. Of the 14 Georgia members, seven shall 
     serve four-year terms and seven two-year terms for the 
     initial term of this compact. The terms of the individual 
     Georgia voting members shall be determined by their place 
     in the alphabet by alternating the four- and two-year 
     terms beginning with Chattahoochee County, four years, 
     Clay County, two years, Decatur County, four years, etc. 
     Upon the expiration of the original terms of office of 
     Georgia members, all successor Georgia members shall be 
     appointed for four-year terms of office, with seven 
     vacancies in the Georgia membership occurring every two 
     years. Of the three Georgia at-large board members, one 
     shall serve a four-year term and two shall serve two-year 
     terms.
       ``All board members shall serve until their successors are 
     appointed and qualified. Vacancies shall be filled by the 
     voting members of the Commission. The first chairman of the 
     commission created by this compact shall be elected by the 
     board of directors from among its voting membership. Annually 
     thereafter, each succeeding chairman shall be selected by the 
     members of the Commission. The chairmanship shall rotate each 
     year among the party States in order of their acceptance of 
     this compact. Members of the Commission shall serve without 
     compensation but shall be entitled to reimbursement for 
     actual expenses incurred in the performance of the duties of 
     the Commission.''.

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