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A.  The commission shall have the following duties and authority:

(1)  The commission may establish an office in the region.

(2)  The commission shall have the power to appoint and fix compensation of such staff as may be necessary to carry out its duties subject to provisions of law governing employees of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

(3)  Upon request of the commission, the head of any federal or state agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of such agency to the commission to assist in carrying out the commission’s duties.  The commission may accept the services of personnel detailed from the state and any political subdivision thereof, and may reimburse the state or such political subdivision for those services.

(4)  The commission may hold such hearings, act at such times and places, and receive such evidence as the commission considers appropriate.

(5)  The commission may sue and be sued.

(6)  The secretary of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism shall provide to the commission, on a reimbursable basis, such administrative support services as may be required.

(7)  The commission may promulgate rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to carry out the purposes of this Chapter.

(8)  The commission may use its funds to obtain money from any source under any program or law requiring matching funds or other similar participation in order to receive funding.

(9)  Except as limited by an agreement pursuant to Paragraph (12) of this Subsection, the commission may, for the purposes of carrying out its duties, seek, accept, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or donations of money, personal property, or services, received from any source.

(10)  The commission may acquire from any willing seller real property or interests in real property in the trace area as deemed necessary to fulfill the purposes of this Chapter.

(11)  Any real property or interest in real property acquired by the commission under Paragraph (10) of this Subsection may be conveyed by the commission to an appropriate public agency or public interest group as determined by the commission.

(12)  For the purposes of carrying out the plan as provided in Paragraph B(2) of this Section, the commission may enter into cooperative agreements with the state, with any political subdivision of the state, or with any person.  Any such cooperative agreement shall, at a minimum, establish procedures for providing notice to the commission of any action proposed by the state, such political subdivision, or such person which may affect the implementation of the plan.

(13)  The commission may establish such advisory groups and form partnerships as it deems necessary to ensure open communication with and assistance from the state, political subdivisions of the state, and interested persons.

(14)  Submit annual budget requests for implementation of the management plan, including matches for federal funds once national heritage area designation is achieved.

B.(1)  To guide the commission’s operations and in preparation for completing the management plan, the commission shall prepare a concept plan and feasibility study which:

(a)  Identifies the commission as the management entity for the trace area and describes the organization, structure, people, programs, capabilities, and funding necessary and desirable for implementing the purposes of this Chapter.

(b)  Discusses the commission’s vision, mission, goals, roles, responsibilities, and other objectives related to strategic planning.

(c)  Determines the potential for the trace area to become a nationally recognized heritage area.

(d)  Identifies, inventories, maps, and describes the region’s resources.

(e)  Delineates the tentative boundaries of the heritage area.

(f)  Defines the Atchafalaya Trace Heritage driving corridor or scenic byway.

(g)  Outlines potential resource conservation and development measures.

(h)  Lists partners and their commitments.

(i)  Describes tentative management measures.

(j)  Determines immediate project needs including initiatives that the commission will assist in implementing immediately.

(2)  Within four years after the commission conducts its first meeting, it shall, through the secretary of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, submit to the House Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources a Cultural Heritage and Corridor Management Plan.  The plan shall take into account existing federal, state, and local plans, and shall coordinate those plans and present a unified resource management and interpretation plan for the trace area.  The plan shall:

(a)  Provide a complete resource inventory which also includes any property in the trace area which should be preserved, restored, managed, developed, maintained, or acquired because of its national historic, cultural, scenic, or natural systems significance.

(b)  Develop a historic, cultural, scenic, and natural resource interpretation plan to interpret the resources of the trace area.

(c)  Recommend policies for resource management which consider and detail the application of appropriate land and water management techniques, including the development of intergovernmental cooperative agreements, that will protect and interpret the trace’s historical, cultural, scenic, and natural resources in a manner consistent with supporting appropriate and compatible economic revitalization efforts.

(d)  Detail the ways in which local, state, and federal programs may best be coordinated to promote the purposes of this Chapter.

(e)  Contain a program for implementation of the plan, including estimated funding needs, by local, state, and federal governments.

(f)  Review local government comprehensive plans and projects.

(3)  After review and approval of the plan by the legislature, by resolution, the commission shall implement the plan by taking appropriate steps in cooperation with any public or private entity to preserve and interpret the historic resources of the trace area and to support public and private efforts in sustainable economic revitalization consistent with the goals of the plan.  These steps may include but need not be limited to:

(a)  Assisting the state, local, and federal governments in preserving the trace area and its surrounding area.

(b)  Assisting the state, local, and federal governments, directly or indirectly, in designing, establishing, and maintaining visitor centers and other interpretive centers and exhibits in the trace area.

(c)  Assisting in increasing public awareness of and appreciation for the historical, scenic, natural, and cultural resources and sites in the trace area.

(d)  Assisting the state, local, and federal governments and nonprofit organizations in the restoration of any historic building or structure and of any damaged or impaired natural systems or features in the trace area.

(e)  Encouraging, by appropriate means, enhanced economic development in the trace area consistent with the goals of the plan.

(f)  Ensuring that clear, consistent signs identifying access points, trace driving corridor or scenic byway routes, points of interest, and services for visitors are placed throughout the trace area.

(g)  Assisting local governments in the development of comprehensive plans and projects.

Acts 1997, No. 1440, §1, eff. July 1, 1998; Acts 1999, No. 367, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 112, §1, eff. January 1, 2003; Acts 2006, No. 713, §1, eff. July 1, 2006.

NOTE:  SEE ACTS 1997, NO. 1440, §3.