H. J. Res. 95
One Hundred Fifth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the seventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven
Joint Resolution
Granting the consent of Congress to the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development
Compact.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, The Congress
consents to the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Compact
entered into by the State of Tennessee and the State of Mississippi.
The compact is substantially as follows:
‘‘CHICKASAW TRAIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
COMPACT
‘‘Article I. The purpose of this compact is to promote the
development of an undeveloped rural area of Marshall County,
Mississippi, and Fayette County, Tennessee (hereinafter referred
to as ‘Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Area’), and to create
a development authority which incorporates public and private part-
nerships to facilitate the economic growth of such areas by providing
developed sites for the location and construction of manufacturing
plants, distribution facilities, research facilities, regional and
national offices with supportive services, and facilities, and to estab-
lish a joint interstate authority to assist in these efforts.
‘‘Article II. This compact shall become effective immediately
whenever the states of Tennessee and Mississippi 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 Chickasaw
Trail Economic Development Authority (hereinafter referred to as
the ‘Authority’). The membership of the Authority shall consist
of an appointee of the Governor of each party state, each state’s
chief economic development official or his/her representative,
appointee of each of the member counties board of supervisors/
county legislative body, selected from nominees from the county’s
industrial development board, and an appointee of the property
owners’ group. The appointive members of the authority shall serve
for terms of four (4) years. Vacancies on the Authority shall be
filled by appointment by the Governor or the appropriate appointing
authority for the unexpired part of the term. The members of
the Authority shall serve without compensation or reimbursement
of expenses. The members of the Authority shall hold regular quar-
terly meetings and such special meetings as its business may
require. They shall choose annually a chairman and vice-chairman
from among their members, and the chairmanship shall rotate
each year between the party states. The secretary of the Authority
H. J. Res. 95—2
(hereinafter provided for) shall notify each member in writing of
all meetings of the Authority in such a manner and under such
rules and regulations as the Authority may prescribe. The Authority
shall adopt rules and regulations for the transaction of its business;
and the secretary shall keep a record of all its business, and
shall furnish a copy thereof to each member of the Authority.
It shall be the duty of the Authority in general, to promote, encour-
age and coordinate the efforts of the party states to secure the
development of the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Author-
ity. Toward this end, the authority shall have power to hold hear-
ings; to conduct studies and surveys of all problems, benefits and
other matters associated with the development of the Chickasaw
Trail Economic Development Area and to make reports thereon;
to acquire, by gift or otherwise, and hold and dispose of such
money and property as may be provided for the proper performance
of their functions; to cooperate with other public or private groups,
whether local, state, regional or national, having an interest in
economic development; to formulate and execute plans and policies
for emphasizing the purpose of this compact before the Congress
of the United States and other appropriate officers and agencies
of the United States and the respective states; and the exercise
of such other powers as may be appropriate to enable it to accom-
plish its functions and duties in connection with the development
of the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Area and to carry
out the purposes of this compact.
‘‘Article IV. The Authority shall appoint a secretary, who
shall be a person familiar with the nature, procedures and signifi-
cance of economic development and the informational, educational
and publicity methods of stimulating general interest in such devel-
opments, and who shall be the compact administrator. His/her
term of office shall be at the pleasure of the Authority. He/she
shall maintain custody of the Authority’s books, records and papers,
which he/she shall keep at the office of the Authority, and he/
she shall perform all functions and duties, and exercise all powers
and authorities, that may be delegated to him/her by the Authority.
‘‘Article V. Nothing in this compact shall be construed to
conflict with any existing statute, or to limit the powers of any
party or state or to repeal or prevent legislation, or to authorize
or permit curtailment or diminution of any other economic develop-
ment project, or to affect existing or future cooperative arrange-
ments or relationships between any federal agency and a party
state.
‘‘Article VI. This compact shall continue in force and remain
binding upon each party state until the Legislature or Governor
of each or either state takes action to withdraw therefrom; provided
that such withdrawal shall not become effective until six (6) months
after the date of the action taken. Notice of such action shall
be given by the Secretary of State of the party state which takes
such action.
‘‘IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, Kirk Fordice, have subscribed
my signature and caused the Great Seal of the State of Mississippi
to be affixed this 9th day of May, 1997.
‘‘IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, Don Sundquist, have subscribed
my signature and caused the Great Seal of the State of Tennessee
to be affixed this 9th day of April, 1997.’’.
H. J. Res. 95—3
SEC. 2. INCONSISTENCY OF LANGUAGE.
The validity of the compact consented to by this Act shall
not be affected by any insubstantial difference in its form or lan-
guage as adopted by the States.
SEC. 3. RIGHT TO ALTER, AMEND, OR REPEAL.
The right to alter, amend, or repeal this joint resolution is
hereby expressly reserved.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.