The Heritage Trust Advisory Board is hereby created to assist the board of the department in carrying out its duties and responsibilities under this chapter. The advisory board shall consist of sixteen members who must be chosen as follows and shall elect from its membership a chairman:

1. (1) From the general public, seven persons, one from each congressional district within the State, who must be appointed by the Governor and serve for a term of six years. Of these seven, four persons must be from the scientific community who are recognized and qualified experts in the ecology of natural areas, and three persons must be from the cultural community who are recognized and qualified experts in the history and archeology of the State. The term "expert" does not of necessity denote a professional but one learned and interested in the field.

2. (2) From state government, the following persons or their designees:

   1. (a) the Chairman of the Board of the Department of Natural Resources;
   2. (b) the Director of the Department of Natural Resources;
   3. (c) the Director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism;
   4. (d) the Director of the Land Resources Conservation Districts Division of the Department of Natural Resources;
   5. (e) the Director of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History;
   6. (f) the State Forester;
   7. (g) the State Archeologist;
   8. (h) the Director of the State Museum; and
   9. (i) the Secretary of Commerce.

HISTORY: 1976 Act No. 600 Section 5; 1991 Act No. 248, Section 6; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1281, eff July 1, 1993; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1282, eff July 1, 1994; 1994 Act No. 361, Section 8, eff May 3, 1994; 2012 Act No. 279, Section 22, eff June 26, 2012.

Effect of Amendment

The first 1993 amendment substituted "board of the department" for "Commission", "advisory board" for "Board", "Director" for "Executive Director" of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and the Land Resources Conservation Commission; and "Director of the Department of Commerce" for "Director of the South Carolina State Development Board".

The second 1993 amendment substituted "board of the department" for "Commission", "advisory board" for "Board", "Department of Natural Resources" for "Wildlife and Marine Resources Commission", and "Director" for "Executive Director" in subparagraphs B, C and D.

The 1994 amendment in subparagraph I of paragraph 2, substituted "Secretary of Commerce" for "Director of the Department of Commerce".

The 2012 amendment changed the paragraph identifiers, changed the number of board members from seventeen to eighteen, changed the number of members from the general public from six to seven, deleted the former provisions relating to initial appointees, and made other nonsubstantive changes.