reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1005.2. Duties

RS 25:1005.2 - Duties
A. The commission shall have authority to acquire, lease, transport, berth, renovate, equip, operate, and maintain, and to exhibit any property acquired for use as a permanent naval museum, and to adopt rules and regulations for the use of such museum and its properties.
B. The commission may have control over any naval museum vessel it acquires and shall have control over any improvements and exhibits located thereon and any additions constructed, created, leased, acquired, or erected in connection therewith.
C. The commission shall select a site for permanently docking any naval museum vessel it acquires at Kenner and make all necessary arrangements for leasing or acquiring a location for its exhibition.
D. The commission shall be responsible for all distribution and collection of funds connected with this project. It is also authorized to contract for, receive, accept, and expend any funds made available from public or private sources. No employees of the commission shall be deemed to be employees of the state or be entitled to join the state retirement system.
E. The commission is authorized and empowered to contract for professional management of all or part of the operations of any naval vessels it acquires and related facilities.
F. The commission shall have the authority to contract with the U.S.O., U.S. Navy and any other branch of the U.S. Armed Services, other naval and military museums, military and quasi-military organizations, corporations, individuals, and other legal entities for the purpose of soliciting and acquiring exhibits, equipment, additional improvements, films, videos, photographs, and memorabilia for public display, as well as donations for the acquisition of such items, and for events on any naval vessel it acquires.
Acts 1992, No. 68, §1; Acts 2014, No. 89, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1011. Establishment; purpose

RS 25:1011 - Establishment; purpose
The Louisiana Governor's Mansion Commission, hereafter in this Chapter referred to as the commission, is hereby created and established as an agency in the office of the governor, for purposes of protection and enhancement of the governor's mansion, its contents, furnishings, and grounds. The purpose of the commission is to ensure a continuum in the appearance, the preservation of contents, furnishings, and surrounding areas of the governor's mansion consistent with the historical significance and importance of the governor's mansion.
Acts 2022, No. 187, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1012. Jurisdictional area

RS 25:1012 - Jurisdictional area
The commission shall have jurisdiction over the public as well as private areas of the governor's mansion and grounds. Public areas shall consist of the first floor, the stairwell in the rotunda, the state wing of the second floor, and all grounds in front and on each side of the mansion. The private areas of the governor's mansion and grounds shall be all other areas within the mansion and grounds not specifically described as a public area in this Section.
Acts 2022, No. 187, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1013. Membership; appointment; terms; officers; compensation

RS 25:1013 - Membership; appointment; terms; officers; compensation
A. The commission shall be composed as follows:
(1)(a) If the governor is married, the governor's spouse or the spouse's designee.
(b) If the governor is unmarried, the governor or his designee.
(2) A person appointed by the person serving on the commission pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
(3) The person employed at the governor's mansion in the position known as the executive residence director.
(4) A member of a former governor's family appointed by the governor.
(5) Three members appointed by the governor after consultation with staff employed at the governor's mansion.
B.(1) The initial terms of the members appointed pursuant to Paragraphs (A)(2), (4), and (5) of this Section shall be as determined by lot at the first meeting of the commission as follows: one member shall serve an initial term of one year; one member shall serve an initial term of two years; one member shall serve an initial term of three years; one member shall serve an initial term of four years; and one member shall serve an initial term of five years.
(2) After the initial term of office, the term of each of the members appointed pursuant to Paragraphs (A)(2), (4), and (5) of this Section shall be five years.
C.(1) The person serving on the commission pursuant to Paragraph (A)(1) of this Section shall serve as the chairman of the commission, and the members of the commission may provide for other officers of the commission as deemed necessary.
(2) The commission may create an executive committee from among its membership to ensure the prompt and efficient conduct of the powers, duties, and functions of the commission.
(3) The commission may establish and provide for advisory committees to advise and assist the commission in the performance of its duties.
D. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation but may receive reimbursement for expenses directly related to service on the commission in accordance with law.
Acts 2022, No. 187, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1014. Commission powers, duties, and responsibilities; approval of changes required

RS 25:1014 - Commission powers, duties, and responsibilities; approval of changes required
A. No improvement, renovation, redecoration, or enhancement of the public or private areas and grounds of the governor's mansion shall be made without the prior approval of the commission. Commission approval shall be required prior to any painting, renovation, non-appliance repair, redecoration, or significant movement of or rearrangement of furniture, artwork, antique pieces, vases, or other items in the public areas.
B. In addition, the commission shall have the following powers, duties, functions, and responsibilities:
(1) To promote a greater understanding and awareness of the importance and significance of the governor's mansion and enhance and maintain the appearance, furnishings, and surroundings thereof so that it may serve as a symbol and actual representation of the history and cultural heritage of the state.
(2) To assist in research for and promote the publication of appropriate materials concerning the governor's mansion and its contents and grounds and the history and significance thereof, and to coordinate and guide any such activity by other state and local agencies.
(3)(a) To enter into loan agreements for the loan of any item that is not owned by the state and that is to be housed in the governor's mansion or located on its grounds and for the loan of any item owned or controlled by another state agency which is to be housed in the governor's mansion or located on its grounds.
(b) Any item that is subject of a loan agreement shall be included in the property inventory of the governor's mansion as required by R.S. 39:324.
(c) Any item that is the subject of a loan agreement shall be covered by adequate insurance through the office of risk management to insure repair or replacement. The commission shall participate in the state's risk management program and provide for such coverage through the program.
(4) To create a program for annual audit, spot-check inventory, and post-audit functions for the protection of all items contained in the inventory.
(5) To provide a procedure for receiving inventory items at the end of a governor's term and for turning over the inventory items to the incoming governor's spouse or designee.
(6) To monitor public and private areas and grounds of the governor's mansion to ensure proper maintenance and repair.
Acts 2022, No. 187, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1015. Cooperation by other state entities

RS 25:1015 - Cooperation by other state entities
A. The office of state buildings and grounds within the division of administration shall timely perform or provide for all requests for maintenance and repair to the governor's mansion and its grounds made by the commission.
B. All departments, commissions, boards, agencies, officers, and institutions of the state and all subdivisions thereof shall cooperate with the commission in carrying out the powers and purposes of this Chapter.
Acts 2022, No. 187, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1016. Funding; donations and grants

RS 25:1016 - Funding; donations and grants
The commission, either directly or through a foundation established to aid the commission in a philanthropic manner, may solicit, accept, use, and dispose of any private or public funds in the form of donations of money, grants, property, or personal services from individuals, corporations, and governments to achieve the purposes of this Chapter subject to rules and regulations adopted by the commission.
Acts 2022, No. 187, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1021. Declaration of purpose

RS 25:1021 - Declaration of purpose
A.(1) The Legislature of Louisiana hereby recognizes that October 12, 1992, marks the five hundredth anniversary of the voyages of discovery of Christopher Columbus and that all persons in this state should look with pride on the achievements and contributions of this courageous man.
(2) The legislature further recognizes that as the United States approaches the quincentenary of the voyages of discovery of Christopher Columbus, it is appropriate to celebrate and commemorate this anniversary through local and statewide observances and activities planned, encouraged, coordinated, and conducted by a commission representative of appropriate persons and public and private authorities and organizations.
B. The legislature declares, therefore, that it is the purpose of this Chapter to create the Louisiana Quincentenary Commission to promote and coordinate activities to commemorate the quincentennial of the voyages of Christopher Columbus.
Acts 1988, No. 4, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1022. Louisiana Quincentenary Commission; creation; appointments of members; terms; officers; meetings; domicile

RS 25:1022 - Louisiana Quincentenary Commission; creation; appointments of members; terms; officers; meetings; domicile
A. The Louisiana Quincentenary Commission, hereafter referred to as the "commission", is hereby created and established in the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.
B. The commission shall consist of eighteen members appointed by the governor to serve at his pleasure.
C. Each appointment by the governor shall be submitted to the Senate for confirmation.
D. The members of the commission shall elect a chairman, vice chairman, and other officers as they deem necessary for the efficient operation of the business of the commission.
E. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but they shall be reimbursed on a vouchered basis for actual expenses, including travel expenses, to the extent that funds are made available for such purpose.
F. A vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
G. The commission shall meet at least semi-annually on such a date and at such a time and place as it may designate. All meetings shall be held at the call of the chairman or at the call of a quorum of members upon not less than seven days written notice, unless notice is waived. A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any and all business at any regular or special meeting.
H. The commission shall be domiciled in Baton Rouge but may hold public meetings elsewhere in the state.
Acts 1988, No. 4, §1; Acts 1990, No. 819, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1023. Powers and duties

RS 25:1023 - Powers and duties
The commission shall:
(1) Plan and develop activities appropriate to commemorate the quincentenary of the voyages of Columbus, including a limited number of projects to be undertaken by the state, seeking to harmonize and balance the important goals of ceremony and celebration with the equally important goals of scholarship and education.
(2) Encourage private organizations and local governments to organize and participate in quincentennial activities commemorating and examining the historic events associated with those voyages.
(3) Serve as a clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information about quincentennial events and plans in the state.
(4) Cooperate and coordinate with the Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission in preparing a comprehensive plan of commemoration to suit the national celebration.
(5) Encourage state agencies to develop quincentenary programs such as the creation of commemorative automobile license plates and public programs in state and local parks, museums, and libraries.
(6) Seek cooperation, advice, and assistance from both private and governmental agencies and organizations, including local governments, learned societies, academic institutions, and historical, patriotic, philanthropic, civic, and professional groups and associations.
(7) Adopt rules and regulations regarding the use of any logos, symbols, or marks originated under authority and certified by the commission for use in connection with the state commemoration of the quincentennial, or any facsimile thereof.
Acts 1988, No. 4, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1024. Funding; donations and grants

RS 25:1024 - Funding; donations and grants
The commission may solicit, accept, use, and dispose of any private or public funds in the form of donations of money, grants, property, or personal services from individuals, corporations, and governments for such purposes. However, the commission shall first adopt rules and regulations under which it may accept such donations or grants of money, property, or personal services, including the procedure for determining the value of the donation.
Acts 1988, No. 4, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1025. Annual report

RS 25:1025 - Annual report
The commission shall submit a report annually to the governor, the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives, and no later than thirty days prior to the beginning of each regular session of the legislature until the commission terminates. The first annual report shall include specific recommendations for commemorating and coordinating the quincentenary and related activities.
Acts 1988, No. 4, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1026. Cooperation by other state entities

RS 25:1026 - Cooperation by other state entities
All departments, commissions, boards, agencies, officers, and institutions of the state and all subdivisions thereof shall cooperate with the commission in carrying out the powers and purposes of this Chapter.
Acts 1988, No. 4, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1101. Sale and deaccession of university museum collection items

RS 25:1101 - Sale and deaccession of university museum collection items
A. All state university museums shall protect and improve the quality of their collections through the sale, exchange, transfer, or disposal of artifacts. Deaccessioning is the process of permanently removing accessioned artifacts from the museum collections.
B. Artifacts in the museum's collections shall be sold or deaccessioned only if they have lost their physical integrity, usefulness, authenticity, or relationship to the museum's purposes, or if their sale would distinctly improve the quality of the museum's collection.
C. Museum artifacts are state property and shall be disposed of in compliance with this Chapter and other appropriate state and federal regulations and established museum collections policy.
D. No object may be sold or deaccessioned less than two years after its acquisition by the museum.
E.(1) Proposals to sell or deaccession collection materials shall be made by the museum professional staff to the museum director who shall make a recommendation to the university's board of supervisors.
(2) The university's board of supervisors shall accept or reject the recommendation of the museum director. Acceptance of the recommendation to sell or deaccession shall require a majority vote of those board members voting.
F. Deaccessioned objects shall be disposed of by one or more of the following methods:
(1) Exchanging, exclusively with nonprofit institutions, for objects of equal or greater monetary or historical value.
(2) Transfer to a nonprofit institution or state agency.
(3) The sale of objects only through competitive means when the museum's identity may or may not remain anonymous.
(4) Destruction of deaccessioned objects which are of a hazardous nature or in a state of deterioration beyond redemption.
(5) Transfer of the object to the museum's educational collection.
G.(1) Persons, including state university employees, volunteers, members of a museum board, members of a museum support organization or other affiliated associations, or their families or representatives, may acquire deaccessioned objects only by participating in an approved public sale which complies with established museum collections policy and current museum ethics as published by the American Association of Museums.
(2) However, no person or member of his immediate family who has the authority to place such object for sale may participate in such a sale or otherwise acquire such an object.
Acts 1999, No. 666, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1201. Museum board authorized

RS 25:1201 - Museum board authorized
The governing authority of West Baton Rouge Parish may create, by ordinance, a museum board to establish, maintain, operate, and support public museums and related facilities within the parish.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1202. Board purpose

RS 25:1202 - Board purpose
The board shall be a historical, cultural, and educational entity with the primary purpose of encouraging research, collecting, preserving, and presenting, as an education resource, objects of art, documents, artifacts, and the like that reflect the history, art, and culture of the parish and the surrounding area.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1203. Definitions

RS 25:1203 - Definitions
As used in the Chapter, the following terms shall have the following meaning, unless the context requires otherwise:
(1) "Association" means the West Baton Rouge Historical Association.
(2) "Board" means the West Baton Rouge Museum Board.
(3) "Director" means the museum director.
(4) "Governing authority" means the West Baton Rouge Parish Police Jury.
(5) "Museum" means any public museum and related facilities under the jurisdiction of the board.
(6) "Parish" means West Baton Rouge Parish.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1204. Funds for acquiring site or construction of buildings; anticipation of revenues; bond issues; special tax; use of maintenance tax

RS 25:1204 - Funds for acquiring site or construction of buildings; anticipation of revenues; bond issues; special tax; use of maintenance tax
A. For the purpose of acquiring sites or erecting buildings thereon or additions thereto, including furniture, fixtures, and equipment, for a museum, the governing authority may:
(1) Anticipate the revenues of the parish and issue bonds or certificates based thereon, as provided by law.
(2) Issue negotiable bonds and thereafter levy and collect taxes to pay and retire the same, if so authorized by the electorate voting thereon at an election called and held for that purpose in the manner provided by law.
(3) Levy a special tax provided by Article VI, Section 32 of the Constitution of Louisiana.
B. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the governing authority may authorize the board to use all or any portion of the millage dedicated for maintenance and support of museums, as provided in R.S. 25:1209(B) for any of the purposes set forth in Subsection A hereof.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1205. Museum board; members; appointment and terms of office; meetings

RS 25:1205 - Museum board; members; appointment and terms of office; meetings
A. The ordinance creating the museum board shall establish the membership thereof as follows:
(1) Nine members who have a knowledge of or interest in art, history, and cultural preservation who reside and are registered voters of the parish who shall serve three calendar year staggered terms. Persons are to be nominated by the West Baton Rouge Historical Association and selected by the governing authority in such a manner that five members are selected from the membership of the association and four members, who may or may not be members of the association, are selected from the parish at large. The at large members shall be nominated and selected in a manner that will ensure, to the extent possible, representation from all geographic areas of the parish.
(2) The president of the governing authority or his designee, who shall be an ex-officio nonvoting member.
(3) The terms of the initial members shall be set by the governing authority at the time of appointment in such a manner that of the five association members, one shall serve a term of one year, two shall serve a term of two years, and two shall serve a term of three years. Further, of the initial at large members, two shall serve a term of one year, one shall serve a term of two years, and one shall serve a term of three years.
B. The board shall meet at least once each quarter but may meet more frequently if additional meetings are called by the chairman or by a majority of the members of the board. All board meetings shall be held at the West Baton Rouge Museum in Port Allen unless otherwise designated in advance by the board.
C. Appointed members may be removed from the board by the board for three consecutive unexcused absences at regularly called board meetings.
D. Any vacancy on the board shall be filled by nomination by the association and selection by the governing authority.
E. A majority of the appointed members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of official business. All official actions of the board shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of the appointed members present and voting.
F. Members shall serve without compensation.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1206. Board powers, duties, and functions

RS 25:1206 - Board powers, duties, and functions
A. The board shall:
(1) Adopt bylaws establishing policies and procedures for its governance, subject to law and ordinances.
(2) Elect and define the responsibilities of the board's officers, including a chairman and vice chairman to serve terms of three years.
(3) Establish when museums will be open to the public.
(4) With the advice of the association, set policies for museums.
(5) Exercise the powers, duties, and functions with respect to accessions, deaccessions, loans, and conservation of museum properties and collections in accordance with law, ordinance, and professional museum practices as established by the American Association of Museums.
(6) With the advice of the association, have custody of and administer, manage, operate, maintain, and preserve the buildings, collections, and exhibitions of the West Baton Rouge Museum complex in Port Allen and any other museum.
(7) Be domiciled in Port Allen. However, additional offices may be established and maintained within other museums.
(8) Cooperate with the parish elementary and secondary schools in the teaching of the history and culture of the parish.
(9) Provide the governing authority with a report of its activities or other information, upon its request.
(10) Pay monthly the expenses or costs of the board's operations, including salaries and all other incidental expenses, out of funds budgeted for such purposes.
B. The board may:
(1) Contract with consulting experts in the fields of museum administration and conservation of paintings, books and papers, and other decorative arts, and with appraisers, buying agents, designers, engineers, attorneys, accountants, construction and financial experts, and other such persons as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the board.
(2) Create from its membership an executive committee.
(3) Create additional committees which it deems necessary or expedient.
(4) Appoint nonboard members to any committee of the board other than the executive committee.
(5) With the advice of the association, set and charge admission and tour fees and user or rental fees to any public museum building or exhibit, as it deems necessary.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1207. Board and staff standards

RS 25:1207 - Board and staff standards
A. The board and its professional staff shall be governed by the standards of museum ethics promulgated by the American Association of Museums, which are not in conflict with law or ordinance.
B. The board may adopt further standards of ethics for itself and its professional staff which it deems to be in the best interest of the museum which are not in conflict with law, ordinance, or the standards of the American Association of Museums.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1208. Museum director

RS 25:1208 - Museum director
A. The board shall appoint a professional director who shall have three to five years of experience in the museum field. The director shall serve as executive officer of the board and shall discharge all operational, maintenance, administrative, and executive functions of the board, subject to the control, jurisdiction, and supervision of the board.
B. The board may remove the director by an affirmative vote of a majority of the total appointed membership at a meeting called for that purpose and then only after hearing by the board, if so requested by the director.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1209. Funding

RS 25:1209 - Funding
A. The board shall be funded through an ad valorem tax levied and administered by the governing authority.
B. In addition to Subsection A, the governing authority may levy a special ad valorem tax, as provided by constitution and law, for the maintenance and support of museums if authorized by the electorate voting thereon at an election called and held for that purpose in the manner provided by law.
C. Funds received by the board, including private donations or grants, shall be used according to the approved budget for the proper operation of the museums according to law, ordinance, and accepted standards of museum operations, following American Association of Museums guidelines, including the provision of a competent, professional, technical and administrative staff.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1210. Annual budget; approval

RS 25:1210 - Annual budget; approval
The board shall annually submit to the governing authority a budget for its proposed operation during the ensuing fiscal year, which the governing authority may approve, reject, or revise. Once approved by the governing authority, the board shall proceed to act thereunder.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1211. Audit

RS 25:1211 - Audit
The financial records of the board shall be audited pursuant to R.S. 24:513. A written report of this audit shall be made to the board and to the governing authority. Audit costs shall be borne by the board.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1213. Donations and loans; disposition of abandoned loans

RS 25:1213 - Donations and loans; disposition of abandoned loans
A. The board may solicit and accept funds, governmental and private grants, donations, and contributions of lands, buildings, money, relics, works of art, or other property on behalf of and as additions to the museum either in the form of loans or in the form of donations inter vivos or mortis causa, or may acquire them by purchase, lease, or otherwise, subject to the terms, conditions, or limitations contained in the instrument by which such property is acquired. All gifts or donations conditionally made shall be subject to the approval of the governing authority.
B. The board may enter into any and all contracts with any person, lender, or donor that it may deem fit, proper, and necessary to accept and receive such lands, buildings, money, relics, works of art, or other property on behalf of and as additions to a public museum.
C. The board may serve as beneficiary of any public trust heretofore or hereafter created for such purpose.
D. The board shall have authority of deaccession with respect to any collection of any public museum subject to law or ordinance. With the advice of the association, the board shall establish policies and procedures necessary to carry out this authority in an orderly manner consistent with the standards established by the American Association of Museums.
Acts 1991, No. 120, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1215.1. Museum board authorized

RS 25:1215.1 - Museum board authorized
The governing authority of the parish of Jackson is hereby authorized to create, by ordinance, a museum board, referred to in this Chapter as the "board". The authority of the board shall extend throughout all of the territory of the parish of Jackson. The board shall be a political subdivision of the state of Louisiana created to establish, maintain, operate, and support public museums and related facilities within the parish.
Acts 2004, No. 424, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1215.2. Board purpose

RS 25:1215.2 - Board purpose
The board shall be a historical, cultural, and educational entity with the primary purpose of encouraging research, collecting, preserving, and presenting, as an education resource, objects of art, documents, artifacts, and the like that reflect the history, art, and culture of the parish and the surrounding area.
Acts 2004, No. 424, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1215.4. Powers of the board

RS 25:1215.4 - Powers of the board
The board shall have and exercise all powers of a political subdivision necessary or convenient for the carrying out of its objects and purposes including but not limited to the following:
(1) To incur debt.
(2) To sue and to be sued.
(3) To adopt, use, and alter at will a corporate seal.
(4) To adopt bylaws and rules and regulations.
(5) To receive by gift, grant, donation, or otherwise any sum of money, property, aid, or assistance from the United States, the state of Louisiana, or any political subdivision thereof, or any person, firm, or corporation.
(6) To enter into contracts, agreements, or cooperative endeavors with the state and its political subdivisions or political corporations and with any public or private association, corporation, business entity, or individual.
(7) To appoint officers, agents, and employees, prescribe their duties, and fix their compensation.
(8) To acquire by purchase, gift, grant, donation, lease, or otherwise such property as may be necessary or desirable for carrying out the objectives and purposes of the board.
(9) To contract with consulting experts in the fields of museum administration and conservation of paintings, books and papers, and other decorative arts, and with appraisers, buying agents, designers, engineers, attorneys, accountants, construction and financial experts, and such other persons as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the board.
(10) To establish such funds or accounts as are necessary for the conduct of the affairs of the district*.
(11) To exercise the powers, duties, and functions with respect to accessions, deaccessions, loans, and conservation of museum properties and collections in accordance with law, ordinance, and professional museum practices as established by the American Association of Museums.
Acts 2004, No. 424, §1.
*As appears in enrolled bill.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1215.5. Funding

RS 25:1215.5 - Funding
The governing authority of the parish of Jackson may provide, by ordinance, for the funding of the museum board or for the funding of any public museum or related facilities created by such board.
Acts 2004, No. 424, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1215.6. Annual budget; approval

RS 25:1215.6 - Annual budget; approval
The board shall annually submit to the governing authority of the parish of Jackson a budget for its proposed operation during the ensuing fiscal year, which the governing authority may approve, reject, or revise. Once approved by the governing authority, the board shall proceed to act thereunder.
Acts 2004, No. 424, §1.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1221. Legislative recognition

RS 25:1221 - Legislative recognition
A. The Atchafalaya Basin, with its adjacent lands and communities, is a place where natural, scenic, cultural, and historic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. These patterns make the basin, its people, and surroundings significant in the unfolding of the state's history and representative of the national experience through the physical features that remain and the traditions that have evolved. Continued use of this heritage region by people whose traditions help to shape the landscape enhances its significance.
B. The legislature recognizes that:
(1) The Atchafalaya Basin region is an assemblage of rich and varied resources representing a unique aspect of Louisiana heritage which can be best managed as such an assemblage through partnerships.
(2) The region reflects a complex mixture of people and their origins, traditions, customs, beliefs, and folkways of interest to the state and nation.
(3) The region's patterns of natural, scenic, and cultural resource features, qualities, processes, uses, values, and relationships must be conserved.
(4) The Atchafalaya Basin and its adjacent lands and waters offer outstanding recreation opportunities, educational experiences, and potential for scientific research.
(5) The combination of resource patterns important to the multiple themes of the region must retain their stability, integrity, sustainability, health, and attractiveness to be capable of supporting interpretation.
(6) The resources represented in the region must continue to be productive and economically viable, consistent with sound ecosystem management policies and practices.
(7) The Atchafalaya region enjoys broad support for state and national designation as a heritage area.
(8) Principal organizations and individuals, drawn from a broad cross section of constituencies, are willing to develop partnerships to achieve stated goals and realize a vision consistent with establishment of a heritage area.
(9) The heritage area concept enjoys the consent of local governments in the area.
Acts 1997, No. 1440, §1, eff. July 1, 1998; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 112, §4, eff. Jan. 1, 2003.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1223. Membership; officers

RS 25:1223 - Membership; officers
A.(1) The commission shall be comprised of fourteen members. The governing authority of each parish identified in R.S. 25:1222(A) as having territory within the trace area shall appoint one member.
(2) Upon request by certified letter from the secretary of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, each governing authority shall make its appointment and submit the name and address of its appointee to the secretary by certified letter.
(3) In addition to the membership provided for in Paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Subsection, upon designation by the federal government of the Atchafalaya area as a national heritage area, the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior may appoint a representative of the National Park Service to serve as a nonvoting member of the commission.
B. Members of the commission shall receive no pay for their service on the commission. However, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the commission other than meetings of the commission, members of the commission may receive reimbursement for travel expenses in accordance with rules promulgated by the division of administration.
C. Terms of commissioners shall be three years and they may be reappointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy in an unexpired term shall be appointed only for the remainder of such term. Any member of the commission may serve after the expiration of his term until his successor is appointed and qualified. Any appointing authority may remove its appointed member who misses more than three consecutive meetings.
D. The members of the commission shall elect from among themselves a chair and other officers as they deem necessary.
E. The commission shall meet not less than quarterly. The commission may hold such other meetings as it deems necessary. Meetings may be called by the chairman or by a majority of the members.
F. The commission shall adopt bylaws to govern its affairs and activities.
Acts 1997, No. 1440, §1, eff. July 1, 1998; Acts 1999, No. 367, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 112, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2003; Acts 2003, No. 439, §1, eff. June 20, 2003; Acts 2006, No. 713, §1, eff. July 1, 2006.
NOTE: SEE ACTS 1997, NO. 1440, §3.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1226. Legislative findings and purpose

RS 25:1226 - Legislative findings and purpose
A. The legislature finds the following:
(1) The unique, nationally significant cultural, historic, natural, and scenic resources of the Atchafalaya Trace Heritage Area should be utilized in a sustainable manner to their maximum potential in order to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the region.
(2) Many residents of the area have historically suffered from a lack of economic opportunities due to a poor infrastructure, few employment opportunities, and a lack of access to capital.
(3) Many of the tax incentive and capital access programs administered by the Department of Economic Development do not target heritage-based businesses located in the trace area.
(4) The Atchafalaya Trace Commission is in a unique position to provide valuable assistance to the residents of the trace area in obtaining access to capital, tax incentives, educational resources, and other economic development tools in order to enhance the economic vitality of the area.
B. This Part is intended to achieve the following purposes:
(1) To assist individuals and businesses that are engaged in heritage-based commercial activities in obtaining capital and tax incentives through existing programs administered by the Department of Economic Development and other local, state, and federal agencies.
(2) To create a pilot program that provides specific tax incentives for heritage-based cottage industry located in the trace area in order to foster more economic development and job opportunities for the residents of the area.
(3) To improve the overall quality of life of the residents of the Atchafalaya Trace Heritage Area.
Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 112, §1, eff. January 1, 2003.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1226.1. Definitions

RS 25:1226.1 - Definitions
For the purposes of this Part, the following terms shall have the meanings hereinafter ascribed to them:
(1) "Commission" means the Atchafalaya Trace Commission.
(2) "Cultural heritage" means those qualities that capture the traditions, customs, beliefs, history, folklore, lifeways, and material culture of the Atchafalaya Trace Heritage Area.
(3) "Department" means the Department of Economic Development.
(4) "Development zone" means the Atchafalaya Trace Heritage Area Development Zone, which encompasses the territory of the following parishes in their entirety: St. Mary, Iberia, St. Martin, St. Landry, Avoyelles, Pointe Coupee, Iberville, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafayette, West Baton Rouge, Concordia, and East Baton Rouge.
(5) "Heritage-based cottage industry" means a small business with no more than twenty full or part-time employees or an individual that is sustainably harnessing the Atchafalaya Trace Heritage Area's cultural heritage and natural heritage resources for purposes which include interpreting, accessing, developing, promoting, or reinforcing the unique character and characteristics of the heritage area. "Heritage-based cottage industries" shall include lodging, including bed and breakfasts, camping, houseboats and recreational vehicle facilities; museums, including living museums and interpretive facilities; artists and craftsmakers of authentic or locally made products; authentic food packaging, production, and harvesting; music production and instrument making; historic homes, house museums, and historic sites; boat, canoe, kayak, and bicycle rentals; wild and scenic sites; hunting, fishing, and birding guide services; tour planning and cultural guide services; swamp tours, airboat tours, helicopter tours, plane tours, and balloon tours; retail facilities of authentic products; and agricultural tours. "Heritage-based cottage industry" shall not include hotels, motels, restaurants, gaming facilities, churches, and housing. A "heritage-based cottage industry" may be a new, existing, or expanding business. In order to qualify as a "heritage-based cottage industry" for purposes of this Part, the owner of the business must be a resident of the heritage area development zone.
(6) "Natural heritage" means one of those qualities that capture the environmental features of the Atchafalaya Trace Heritage Area, including man-made and natural resources and wildlife.
(7) Repealed by Acts 2014, No. 832, §2.
(8) "Small business" means a business with no more than twenty full or part-time employees.
Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 112, §1, eff. January 1, 2003; Acts 2014, No. 832, §2.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1226.3. Authority of the commission

RS 25:1226.3 - Authority of the commission
The commission shall have the authority to do the following:
(1) Adopt and promulgate rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to effectuate the provisions of this Part, and to establish eligibility requirements for those entities applying for those tax exemptions and credits provided for in this Part.
(2) Provide assistance to heritage-based cottage industry located in the development zone in accessing existing tax exemption, rebate, and credit programs administered by the department.
(3) Provide assistance to heritage-based cottage industry located in the development zone in accessing capital through existing programs administered by the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation and by various federal agencies.
(4) Provide assistance to heritage-based cottage industry located in the development zone in utilizing educational and small business resource programs administered by various local and state agencies, including but not limited to the community economic development educational programs offered by the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center.
(5) Use funds available to the commission to develop a Louisiana-made product catalog and internet shopping pages.
(6) Use funds available to the commission to identify potential export markets for consumer or durable goods produced in the development zone.
(7) Use funds available to the commission to engage in community revitalization and building rehabilitation initiatives in the development zone.
(8) Use funds available to the commission to match federal funds once national heritage area designation is achieved.
(9) Interpret and provide access to the nationally significant resources of the region.
Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 112, §1, eff. January 1, 2003.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1226.5. Violations

RS 25:1226.5 - Violations
Upon violation of any of the terms and conditions of the contract under which credits are granted, the commerce board, with approval of the governor, shall give notice thereof in writing, and unless the violation is corrected within ninety days, any remaining portion of the exemption from taxation granted under any contract entered into pursuant to this Part may be terminated, the amount of all credits awarded pursuant to this Part that were credited against tax liability shall be repaid to the state, and any unused credits shall be canceled.
Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 112, §1, eff. January 1, 2003.
2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 25 - Libraries, Museums, and Other Scientific › §25:1226.6. Termination and evaluation of program

RS 25:1226.6 - Termination and evaluation of program
A. On and after January 1, 2014, no new applications to receive tax exemptions or credits pursuant to this Part shall be approved by the State Board of Commerce and Industry, nor shall the commission engage in any of the activities described in R.S. 25:1226.3. However, a business which, prior to January 1, 2014, has been approved by the board to receive tax exemptions or credits under this program shall continue to receive such tax benefits pursuant to the terms of its agreement with the state of Louisiana as long as the business retains its eligibility.
B. The commission shall periodically monitor the implementation and operation of the provisions of this Part. Prior to the cessation of activities as provided for in Subsection A of this Section, the commission shall provide written evaluation of the program and its economic impact on the development zone to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs. The written evaluation shall be utilized by the legislature to determine whether to continue the effectiveness of this Part and whether to create similar development zones in other heritage areas in the state.
Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 112, §1, eff. January 1, 2003; Acts 2007, No. 299, §1; Acts 2011, No. 112, §1.