2023 Tennessee Code › Title 4 - STATE GOVERNMENT (§§ 4-1-101 — 4-58-110) › Chapter 11 - HISTORIAN AND HISTORICAL COMMISSION (§§ 4-11-101 — 4-11-306) › Part 1 - STATE HISTORIAN AND HISTORICAL COMMISSION (§§ 4-11-101 — 4-11-113) › Section 4-11-102 - Commission - Creation - Membership

(a)
The entire membership of the Tennessee historical commission as comprised on June 30, 2024, is vacated on July 1, 2024, and new members are appointed in accordance with subsection (b). To ensure the continuity of the commission, new members must be appointed between July 1, 2024, and August 31, 2024.
(b)
There is created the Tennessee historical commission, which is composed of twenty (20) members as follows:
(1)
One (1) person appointed from each of the three (3) grand divisions of the state and two (2) at-large members, appointed by the speaker of the senate;
(2)
One (1) person appointed from each of the three (3) grand divisions of the state and two (2) at-large members, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
(3)
One (1) person appointed from each of the three (3) grand divisions of the state and two (2) at-large members, appointed by the governor; and
(4)
Five (5) ex officio non-voting members, including the:
(A)
Governor or the governor's designee;
(B)
State historian;
(C)
State archaeologist;
(D)
Commissioner of environment and conservation or the commissioner's designee; and
(E)
State librarian and archivist.
(c)
The commission shall appoint an executive director, who serves at the pleasure of the commission and who must be a person qualified by training and experience to perform the duties assigned to the director, including as keeper of the Tennessee register of historic places under § 4-11-207. The executive director serving as of June 30, 2024, shall remain in the position until the commission, in its discretion, appoints a replacement.
(d)
In order to stagger the terms of the newly appointed commission members, initial appointments are made as follows:
(1)
The persons appointed as at-large members under subdivisions (b)(1)-(3) serve an initial term of one (1) year, which expires on June 30, 2025;
(2)
The persons appointed from the eastern grand division under subdivision (b)(1), the middle grand division under subdivision (b)(2), and the western grand division under subdivision (b)(3) serve an initial term of two (2) years, which expires on June 30, 2026;
(3)
The persons appointed from the middle grand division under subdivision (b)(1), the western grand division under subdivision (b)(2), and the eastern grand division under subdivision (b)(3) serve an initial term of three (3) years, which expires on June 30, 2027; and
(4)
The persons appointed from the western grand division under subdivision (b)(1), the eastern grand division under subdivision (b)(2), and the middle grand division under subdivision (b)(3) serve an initial term of four (4) years, which expires on June 30, 2028.
(e)
(1)
In making appointments to the commission, the appointing authorities shall strive to ensure that at least one (1) person serving on the commission is sixty (60) years of age or older and that at least one (1) person serving on the commission is a member of a racial minority. In making the appointments, there must be a conscientious effort by the appointing authorities to ensure that persons meeting these criteria are inclusive of African Americans and of Native American ancestry.
(2)
The appointing authorities shall ensure that at -least three (3) persons serving on the commission have an academic background in history or historic preservation, or both, preferably a master's degree.
(f)
Upon the expiration of the initial terms set forth in subsection (d), or if a member of the commission dies or resigns from the commission, then the appointing authority who appointed the member to the commission shall appoint a new member to fill the vacancy and serve for a period of five (5) years from the date of appointment. If, upon the expiration of a member's term an appointing authority does not act to renew the member's appointment or make a new appointment, the member will continue to serve until such time as an appointment is made.
(g)
All members of the commission may be paid necessary expenses while engaged in the work of the commission. All reimbursement for travel expenses must be in accordance with the comprehensive travel regulations as promulgated by the department of finance and administration and approved by the attorney general and reporter.
Amended by 2024 Tenn. Acts, ch. 764,s 1, eff. 6/30/2024.
Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 624, s 1, eff. 7/1/2014.
Acts 1969, ch. 98, § 1; modified; T.C.A., § 4-1110; Acts 1971, ch. 227, § 1; 1971, ch. 349, § 2; 1973, ch. 19, § 2; 1976, ch. 399, § 1; 1976, ch. 806, § 1(25); 1977, ch. 8, § 2; T.C.A., § 4-1102; Acts 1988, ch. 1013, § 4; 1998, ch. 1064, § 1.