To grant the consent of Congress to an amendment of the Historic Chattahoochee Compact between the States of Alabama and Georgia.

Summary: Grants the consent of the Congress to the amendment to articles I, II, and III of the Historic Chattahoochee Compact between Alabama and Georgia which:  (1) provide that the purpose of the Compact is to promote the cooperative development of the Chattahoochee valley's full potential for historic preservation and tourism; (2) make such Compact effective immediately as to the States ratifying it whenever Alabama and Georgia have ratified it and the Congress has given its consent; and (3) permit the two States to establish a joint agency to be known as the Historic Chattahoochee Commission.

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.''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.