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A.  The Pilotage Fee Commission shall exist to establish pilotage fees.

B.  The commission shall be composed of eleven members and  nine  alternates.  The governor shall appoint the members as follows:

(1)  To represent the interests of the associations, the governor shall appoint four members, and four alternates thereof, which members and alternates shall be designated by the board of directors of the four pilot associations.  The four pilot associations shall each nominate one member and one alternate, such associations being the Associated Branch Pilots for the Port of New Orleans, the River Port Pilots for the Port of New Orleans, the New Orleans Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association, and the Associated Branch Pilots for the Port of Lake Charles.  In the event that one or more of the nominating entities does not participate by submitting a name or names for nomination, then those participating entities shall submit four nominees and alternates of their choosing.  In the event that none of the nominating entities send names for nomination to the governor, then the governor shall appoint the four members and their alternates, all of whom shall be commissioned pilots.

(2)  To represent the interests of the industry, the governor shall appoint four members and four alternates thereof, from nominees submitted to him by the New Orleans Steamship Association, the Mississippi River Maritime Association, the Lake Charles Maritime Association, and the International Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association of New Orleans, Inc., the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the Louisiana Chemical Association, and the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. Each group shall nominate two nominees, and the seven nominating groups will select four nominees and four alternates to be jointly submitted to the governor. No nominee submitted pursuant to this Section shall serve on the Board of Louisiana River Pilot Review and Oversight.

(3)  Three at-large members and one at-large alternate.  Those members shall sign and maintain a statement of neutrality and shall not be a family member of nor have a financial, business, or pecuniary relationship with a member or with any entity represented on the commission or on the Board of Louisiana River Pilot Review and Oversight.  No at-large member shall have any ex parte communication with any member of any pilot association or with any member of the nominating industry groups or any other person or entity that has an interest in any issue pending before the commission except for educational purposes and during such educational time both the pilot association members and the industry members shall be afforded an opportunity to attend, provided that at no time a quorum is present.  The level of participation of the at-large alternate shall be governed by rules or regulations adopted and promulgated by the Pilotage Fee Commission.

(4)  The appointees shall be residents of the state of Louisiana. Notwithstanding any prohibition contained in Part II of Chapter 15 of Title 42 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, the pilot fee commission members and alternates appointed pursuant to Paragraphs (B)(1) and (2) shall be eligible to serve on the pilot fee commission and participate in transactions before the commission.

(5)  The alternates shall serve in the event of vacancy, inability, or absence of the member.

(6)  The terms of the members, and of the alternates thereto, shall run concurrently with that of the governor appointing them.  However, they shall remain in office until their successors have been appointed and duly qualified.  Any member appointed by the governor may serve more than one consecutive term.

(7)  The appointments shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.  The governor shall make appointments within thirty days of the expiration of a term of office or the occurrence of a vacancy in office.  A member may be removed only for good cause shown.

(8)  At the expiration of the term of each member and of each succeeding member, the governor shall appoint a successor who shall serve for a term of four years using the selection process as provided for in Subsection B of this Section.

(9)  The three at-large members of the commission and the one at-large alternate member shall each receive one hundred fifty dollars per diem while executing their duty as a commission member.  Additionally, such members shall be entitled to reasonable expenses as approved by the chairman.

(10)  A member who fails to attend two consecutive quarterly meetings of the commission, without good cause shown in the minutes of the commission meetings, shall be deemed to have vacated his office as a member.

(11)  Six members shall constitute a quorum.

(12)  At its first meeting the commission shall determine the domicile of the commission and thereafter the domicile shall remain unless changed by statute.

(13)  An alternate of a member shall serve and shall be entitled to the rights and be bound by the duties of the member when the member is unable to fulfill their duties.

C.  All meetings of the commission shall be public, and, except as otherwise provided by law, all records of the commission shall be open to inspection.  Notwithstanding the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 44:1 et seq., upon request of a pilot association, member of industry, or any other person with a substantial interest as provided for in La. Rev. Stat. 34:1122(D), any records received by the pilot fee commission which are deemed by the pilot fee commission to be trade secret or proprietary shall be kept confidential and shall be exempt from public disclosure.

Acts 1968, No. 579, §1; Acts 1987, No. 202, §1, eff. June 29, 1987; Acts 1999, No. 906, §1; Acts 2004, No. 902, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2005; Acts 2008, No. 234, §1.

NOTE:  SEE ACTS 1987, NO. 202, §§2 AND 3.