                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

DUTIES OF THE AUTHORITY (§ 2.2-2339)

The Authority shall have the power and duty:

1. To do all things necessary and proper to further an appreciation of the
contributions of the first permanent English-speaking settlers as well as the
Virginia Indians to the building of our Commonwealth and nation, to commemorate
the establishment of the first coastal fortification in the English-speaking New
World, to commemorate the lives of prominent Virginians who were connected to
the largest moated fortification in the United States, to commemorate the
important role of African Americans in the history of the site, including the
&#8220;Contraband&#8221; slave decision in 1861 that earned Fort Monroe the
designation as &#8220;Freedom&#8217;s Fortress,&#8221; to commemorate Old Point
Comfort&#8217;s role in establishing international trade and British maritime
law in Virginia, and to commemorate almost 250 years of continuous service as a
coastal defense fortification of the United States of America;

2. To hire and develop a professional staff including a chief executive officer
and such other staff as is necessary to discharge the responsibilities of the
Authority;

3. To establish personnel policies and benefits for staff;

4. To oversee the preservation, conservation, protection, and maintenance of the
Commonwealth&#8217;s natural resources and real property interests at Fort
Monroe and the renewal of Fort Monroe as a vibrant and thriving community;

5. To adopt an annual budget, which shall be submitted to the Chairmen of the
Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations and the House Committee on
Appropriations and the Department of Planning and Budget by July 1 of each year;

6. To provide for additional, more complete, or more timely services than are
generally available in the City of Hampton as a whole;

7. To create and manage a department within the Authority for the purpose of
overseeing and managing all property and facilities provided, owned, operated,
or financed by the Authority; and

8. To serve as the Commonwealth&#8217;s management agent for all the land in the
Area of Operation and for the implementation of actions and fulfillment of
federal and state obligations for public and private land under the Fort Monroe
Master Plan, Programmatic Agreement, Design Standards, Reuse Plan, State
Memorandum of Understanding, and any other agreements regarding Fort Monroe to
which the Commonwealth is a party, ensuring adherence to the findings,
declarations, and policies set forth in this article, unless the Commonwealth
and the Authority specifically agree in writing to the contrary.

HISTORY: 2011, c. 716; 2012, cc. 436, 482; 2014, cc. 676, 681; 2022, Sp. Sess.
I, c. 16; 2024, cc. 34, 114.