2015 Mississippi Code
Title 57 - PLANNING, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 1 - MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
IN GENERAL
§ 57-1-3 - Department seal; advisory council

(1) The Department of Economic and Community Development shall have an official seal, and all orders, findings, acts and certifications of the department shall be attested by such seal, and by the signature of the executive director; and when so attested, all orders, acts, findings and certifications of the department shall be competent evidence and shall be given full faith and credit in any proceedings of a court in this state.

(2) The Governor shall appoint an advisory council to the department, which shall consist of twenty-five (25) members, five (5) from each congressional district as constituted on January 1, 1979, whose terms shall be concurrent with that of the appointing Governor. The council shall meet two (2) times each year, once on or before June 30 of each year and once after June 30, but prior to December 31, of each year. The members of the council shall serve without pay and without compensation for expenses. The Governor shall serve as chairman of the council. The council shall advise the department on matters under the jurisdiction of the department.

(3) The Lieutenant Governor may designate two (2) Senators and the Speaker of the House of Representatives may designate two (2) Representatives to attend any meeting of the advisory council created in subsection (2) of this section. The appointing authorities may designate alternate members from their respective houses to serve when the regular designees are unable to attend meetings of the advisory council. For attending meetings of the advisory council, such legislators shall receive per diem and expenses which shall be paid from the contingent expense funds of their respective houses in the same amounts as provided for committee meetings when the Legislature is not in session; however, no per diem and expenses for attending meetings of the advisory council will be paid while the Legislature is in session. No per diem and expenses will be paid except for attending meetings of the advisory council without prior approval of the proper committee of the respective house of the Legislature.