(a) The Commissioner shall have the following powers and duties:

(1) To promulgate suitable rules and regulations to carry out the provisions and purposes of this chapter;

(2) To request from the Attorney General and any court, agency, or department such assistance and data as will enable the Commissioner to determine the losses of cotton producers for which indemnity payments are available pursuant to this chapter and whether, and the extent to which, a claimant qualifies for such compensation. Any person, corporation, partnership, court, agency, or department is authorized to provide the Commissioner with the information requested upon receipt of a request from the Commissioner. Any provision of law providing for confidentiality of records does not apply to a request of the Commissioner pursuant to this Code section; provided, however, that the Commissioner shall preserve the confidentiality of any such records received;

(3) To investigate each individual claim, utilizing, to the extent necessary, electronic warehouse receipt records, financial and banking records, market price records, and other records and documentation necessary to verify the claim;

(4) To reinvestigate or reopen denied claims for awards filed with the Commissioner pursuant to this chapter as the Commissioner deems necessary;

(5) To apply for funds from, and to submit all necessary forms and reports to, any federal agency participating in a cooperative program to compensate cotton producers who are eligible for indemnity payments pursuant to this chapter and to receive and administer federal funds for the purposes of this chapter;

(6) To make indemnity payments to eligible cotton producers in the manner authorized by this chapter. Indemnity payments shall be made directly to eligible cotton producers;

(7) To carry out programs designed to inform affected cotton producers of the purposes and requirements of this chapter and the indemnity program created pursuant to this chapter; and

(8) To make a report to the secretary of agriculture, Congress, the Governor, and the General Assembly on or before October 1, 1999, and a report upon concluding the affairs of the Georgia Cotton Producers Indemnity Fund of 1999 describing the state's efforts to use the indemnity fund to provide compensation to injured cotton producers.

(b) The Commissioner and the department shall assist applicants with their claims for indemnity payments through educational programs and administrative assistance.

(c) Neither rule making nor any proceeding or hearing under the program authorized by this chapter shall be subject in any way to Chapter 13 of Title 50, the "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act."