(1) For purposes of this section: (a) "Collections" means the same as that term is defined in Section 9-8a-302. (b) "Curation facility" means: (i) the museum; (ii) an accredited facility meeting federal curation standards; (iii) for the purposes described in Subsection (7)(c), a paleontology museum; or (iv) an appropriate state park. (c) "Museum" means the Utah Museum of Natural History. (d) "Paleontology museum" means a museum owned or established by a city of the first or second class, that: (i) is designed for the curation and display of specimens and paleontological resources; (ii) has a designated paleontologist responsible for the care and preservation of the specimens, collections, and paleontological resources; and (iii) is an approved repository, as that term is defined in 43 C.F.R. Sec. 49.5, or has a detailed plan to become an approved repository. (e) "Repository" means: (i) a facility designated by the museum through memoranda of agreement; (ii) for the purposes described in Subsection (7)(c), a paleontology museum; or (iii) a place of reburial. (f) "School and institutional trust lands" are those properties defined in Section 53C-1-103. (2) There is established at the University of Utah the Utah Museum of Natural History, where tangible objects reflecting the past, present, and continuing development of our natural history may be collected and displayed for educational and cultural purposes. (3) (a) The museum shall make available to people throughout the state, through traveling exhibits and outreach programs, archeological and paleontological objects retrieved from the state. (b) The museum shall provide professional expertise and assistance in the proper care of the archeological and paleontological collections from state lands as the collections are housed throughout the state. (4) The museum shall submit an annual request to the Legislature to fund the ongoing costs of the programs authorized under Subsection (3) as part of the museum's base budget. (5) The University of Utah is authorized to receive gifts, contributions, and donations of all kinds, including tangible objects and specimens for the development of or display in the museum. (6) The museum shall make rules to ensure the adequate curation of all collections from lands owned or controlled by the state or the state's subdivisions. (a) The rules shall: (i) conform to, but not be limited by, federal curation policy; (ii) recognize that collections recovered from school and institutional trust lands are owned by the respective trust, and shall be made available for exhibition as the beneficiaries of the respective trust may request, subject to museum curation policy and the curation facility's budgetary priorities; (iii) recognize that any collections obtained in exchange for collections found on school and institutional trust lands shall be owned by the respective trust; and (iv) recognize that if, at the museum's discretion, the curation facility makes and sells reproductions derived from collections found on school or institutional trust lands, any money obtained from these sales shall be given to the respective trust, but the curation facility may retain money sufficient to recover the direct costs of preparation for sale and a reasonable fee for handling the sale. (7) (a) Subject to Subsection (7)(c), the museum may enter into memoranda of agreement with other repositories located in and outside the state to act as the museum's designee for the curation of collections. (b) In these memoranda, the museum may delegate some or all of the museum's authority to curate. (c) A city that has a paleontology museum may retain, curate, and manage paleontological specimens, paleontological collections, and paleontological resources recovered on lands owned or controlled by the city. (8) (a) All collections recovered from lands owned or controlled by the state or the state's subdivisions shall be deposited at the museum, a curation facility, or at a repository within a reasonable time after the completion of field work. (b) The museum shall make rules establishing procedures for selection of the appropriate curation facility or repository. (c) The rules shall consider: (i) whether the permittee, authorized pursuant to Section 9-8a-305, is a curation facility; (ii) the appropriateness of reburial; (iii) the proximity of the curation facility or repository to the point of origin of the collection; (iv) the preference of the owner of the land on which the collection was found; (v) the nature of the collection and the repository's or curation facility's ability and desire to curate the collection in question, and ability to maximize the scientific, educational, and cultural benefits for the people of the state and the school and institutional trusts; (vi) selection of a second curation facility or repository, if the original repository or curation facility becomes unable to curate the collections under the original repository or curation facility's care; and (vii) establishment of an arbitration process for the resolution of disputes over the location of a curation facility or repository, which shall include an ultimate arbitration authority consisting of the landowner, the state archaeologist or paleontologist, and a representative from the governor's office. (d) The repository or curation facility may charge a curation fee commensurate with the costs of maintaining those collections, except that a fee may not be charged to the respective trust for collections found on school or institutional trust lands. (9) The repository or curation facility shall make specimens available through loans to museums and research institutions in and out of the state when, in the opinion of the repository or curation facility: (a) the use of the specimens is appropriate; and (b) arrangements are made for safe custodianship of the specimens. (10) The museum shall comply with the procedures of Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, regarding publication of the museum's rules in the Utah State Bulletin and the Utah Administrative Code. Renumbered and Amended by Chapter 8, 2025 Special Session 1
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