(a) Each regional organization shall be led by a Board of Directors which shall appoint a Chair or President to represent the board in matters related to the participation in the program. All board members and officers shall reside or work within the geographic boundaries of the region or otherwise demonstrate an interest and ability to represent the communities and citizens within the region boundaries.
(b) Unless otherwise approved by the Commission, each regional organization shall provide a full-time, paid executive director with professional qualifications relevant to fulfilling the organization's heritage tourism mission activities, and terms of this chapter. For the purposes of this chapter, full-time employment means that the executive director works at least forty (40) hours per week.
(c) Each regional organization shall keep the Commission apprised of any executive director vacancy and shall move forward in an efficient manner to fill any vacancy of the position. Vacancy of the executive director position for greater than six (6) consecutive months may be considered cause for termination of regional organization's participation in the program by the Commission. A regional organization may request permission from the Commission to operate without a full-time, paid executive director due to financial or other extraordinary considerations. The Commission may grant such request, in its sole discretion, if it determines that the regional organization demonstrates the necessity for operating without a full-time, paid executive director and demonstrates the ability for the regional organization to fulfill its mission and the remainder of its obligations to the Commission and program in a manner that adequately serves the traveling public and regional constituents.
(d) The responsibility for selection, salary, employment and employee-related legal matters remains with the regional organization. Each executive director, and all other staff of regional organizations, shall not be considered employees, agents or contractors of the Commission for any purpose.
(e) Each regional organization shall provide the Commission with a copy of the organization's bylaws, articles of incorporation, and/or other mission statements and organizing or operational principles, including revisions and updates to these documents that occur during participation. Any revisions or updates to these documents shall be provided to the Commission no later than sixty (60) days after adoption by the regional organization.
(f) Each regional organization shall ensure that its bylaws and other organizing principles retain primary focus on the THTP and the development and promotion of heritage tourism within the region and Texas.

Source Note: The provisions of this §30.4 adopted to be effective March 4, 2019, 44 TexReg 1120