By Truan                                        S.B. No. 1029

      75R8029 T                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the designation of the Corpus Christi Museum of Science

 1-3     and History as the Marine Archeology Repository for state marine

 1-4     collections.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 191, The Natural Resources

 1-7     Code, Section 191.058, is amended to read as follows:

 1-8           Sec. 191.058.  Display of Artifacts.  (a)  As far as is

 1-9     consistent with the public policy of this chapter, the committee,

1-10     on a majority vote, may arrange or contract with other state

1-11     agencies or political subdivisions and qualified private

1-12     institutions, corporations, or individuals for public display of

1-13     artifacts and other items in its custody through permanent exhibits

1-14     established in the locality or region in which the artifacts were

1-15     discovered or recovered.  The committee, on a majority vote, may

1-16     also arrange or contract with these same persons and groups for

1-17     portable or mobile displays.

1-18           (b)  The committee is the legal custodian of the items

1-19     described in this chapter and shall adopt appropriate rules, terms,

1-20     and conditions to assure appropriate security, qualification of

1-21     personnel, insurance, facilities for preservation, restoration, and

1-22     display of the items loaned under the contracts.

1-23           (c)  Arrangements for curation of artifacts, data, and other

1-24     materials recovered under Texas Antiquities Committee permits are

 2-1     specified in the body of the permit.  Should a state agency or

 2-2     political subdivision lack the facilities or for any reason be

 2-3     unable to curate or provide responsible storage for such artifacts,

 2-4     data, or other materials, the Texas Antiquities Committee will

 2-5     arrange for curation at a suitable institution.  The Texas

 2-6     Antiquities Committee may by rule assess costs for such curation.

 2-7           (d)  The Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History is the

 2-8     Marine Archeology Repository for state collections and as such may

 2-9     be asked to curate marine collections recovered under state permit.

2-10     Artifacts curated by the Marine Archeology Repository or other

2-11     state designated archeology repositories may be loaned for public

2-12     display to qualified institutions.

2-13           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-14     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-15     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-16     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-17     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-18     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-19     passage, and it is so enacted.