143-300.30. Service on National Tobacco Grower Settlement Trust.
(a) (1) Philip Morris, Inc., Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Lorillard Tobacco Company, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (hereinafter, the "tobacco companies") have proposed to create a National Tobacco Grower Settlement Trust under which the tobacco companies will pay, during a 12-year period, a base amount of approximately five billion one hundred fifty million dollars ($5,150,000,000) into a trust to provide payments to tobacco growers and allotment holders in 14 grower states, including North Carolina, for the purposes of ameliorating potential adverse economic consequences of likely changes in the tobacco market on grower states.
(2) The tobacco companies desire that the money paid into the trust be divided among tobacco producers and allotment holders in accordance with a plan designed and approved by a certification entity in each state.
(3) The tobacco companies desire that in larger grower states, including North Carolina, the certification entity be a nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors consisting of the following public officials and persons appointed by public officials: the Governor, who shall serve as chair of the board of directors; the Commissioner of Agriculture, who shall serve as vice-chair; the Attorney General, who shall serve as secretary; a State Senator appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate; a State Representative appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; two members of the North Carolina congressional delegation selected by the delegation; and four to seven citizens appointed by the Governor.
(4) It is in the public interest that these officials and citizens serve on the board of directors and determine the distribution of these private trust funds to tobacco producers and allotment holders in North Carolina.
(b) The Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate are authorized to appoint members of the board of directors of the certification entity as provided in Section 1.(a)(3), and the public officials referred to in Section 1.(a)(3) are authorized to serve on that board.
(c) No member of the certification entity for the National Tobacco Grower Trust Fund is subject to civil liability for any act or omission arising out of the performance of the member's duties as a member or officer of the certification entity. This section does not apply to liability arising from willful or wanton misconduct, intentional wrongdoing, or the operation of a motor vehicle. (1999-333, s.1.)