[104th Congress Public Law 144]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


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[DOCID: f:publ144.104]


[[Page 1341]]

                     HISTORIC CHATTAHOOCHEE COMPACT

[[Page 110 STAT. 1342]]

Public Law 104-144
104th Congress

                                 An Act


 
    To grant the consent of Congress to an amendment of the Historic 
        Chattahoochee Compact between the States of Alabama and 
             Georgia. <<NOTE: May 16, 1996 -  [H.R. 2064]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress <<NOTE: Historic preservation.>>  
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

    `` <<NOTE: Effective date.>> 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

    `` <<NOTE: Establishment.>> 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

[[Page 110 STAT. 1343]]

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.

[[Page 110 STAT. 1344]]

    ``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.''.

    Approved May 16, 1996.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 2064 (S. 848):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 104-376 (Comm. on the Judiciary).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
                                                        Vol. 141 (1995):
                                    Nov. 9, S. 848 considered and passed 
                                        Senate.
                                                        Vol. 142 (1996):
                                    Mar. 12, H.R. 2064 considered and 
                                        passed House.
                                    May 3, considered and passed Senate.

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