[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1970 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1970

    To amend the National Museum of the American Indian Act to make 
            improvements in the Act, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 18, 1996

  Mr. McCain (for himself, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Campbell) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                      Committee on Indian Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the National Museum of the American Indian Act to make 
            improvements in the Act, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``National Museum of 
the American Indian Act Amendments of 1996''.
    (b) References.--Whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal is 
expressed in terms of an amendment to or repeal of a section or other 
provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 
other provision of the National Museum of the American Indian Act (20 
U.S.C. 80q et seq.).

SEC. 2. BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

    Section 5(f)(1)(B) (20 U.S.C. 80q-3(f)(1)(B)) is amended by 
striking ``an Assistant Secretary'' and inserting ``a senior 
official''.

SEC. 3. INVENTORY.

    Section 11(a) (20 U.S.C. 80q-9) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(1)'' and inserting ``(A)'';
            (2) by striking ``(2)'' and inserting ``(B)'';
            (3) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The Secretary''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
    ``(2) The inventory made by the Secretary of the Smithsonian 
Institution under paragraph (1) shall be completed not later than June 
1, 1998.
    ``(3) For purposes of this subsection, the term `inventory' means a 
simple, itemized list that, to the extent practicable, identifies, 
based upon available information held by the Smithsonian Institution, 
the geographic and cultural affiliation of the remains and objects 
referred to in paragraph (1).''.

SEC. 4. SUMMARY AND REPATRIATION OF UNASSOCIATED FUNERARY OBJECTS, 
              SACRED OBJECTS, AND CULTURAL PATRIMONY.

    The National Museum of the American Indian Act is amended by 
inserting after section 11 the following new section:

``SEC. 11A. SUMMARY AND REPATRIATION OF UNASSOCIATED FUNERARY OBJECTS, 
              SACRED OBJECTS, AND CULTURAL PATRIMONY.

    ``(a) Summary.--Not later than December 31, 1996, the Secretary of 
the Smithsonian Institution shall provide a written summary that 
contains a summary of unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, 
and objects of cultural patrimony (as those terms are defined in 
subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D), respectively, of section 2(3) of the 
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 
3001(3)), based upon available information held by the Smithsonian 
Institution. The summary required under this section shall include, at 
a minimum, the information required under section 6 of the Native 
American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 3004).
    ``(b) Repatriation.--Where cultural affiliation of Native American 
unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural 
patrimony has been established in the summary prepared pursuant 
to subsection (a), or where a requesting Indian tribe or Native 
Hawaiian organization can show cultural affiliation by a preponderance 
of the evidence based upon geographical, kinship, biological, 
archaeological, anthropological, linguistic, folkloric, oral 
traditional, historical, or other relevant information or expert 
opinion, then the Smithsonian Institution shall expeditiously return 
such unassociated funerary object, sacred object, or object of cultural 
patrimony where--
            ``(1) the requesting party is the direct lineal descendant 
        of an individual who owned the unassociated funerary object or 
        sacred object;
            ``(2) the requesting Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian 
        organization can show that the object was owned or controlled 
        by the Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization; or
            ``(3) the requesting Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian 
        organization can show that the unassociated funerary object or 
        sacred object was owned or controlled by a member thereof, 
        provided that in the case where an unassociated funerary object 
        or sacred object was owned by a member thereof, there are no 
        identifiable lineal descendants of said member or the lineal 
        descendants, upon notice, have failed to make a claim for the 
        object.
    ``(c) Standard of Repatriation.--If a known lineal descendant or an 
Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization requests the return of 
Native American unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, or 
objects of cultural patrimony pursuant to this Act and presents 
evidence which, if standing alone before the introduction of evidence 
to the contrary, would support a finding that the Smithsonian 
Institution did not have the right of possession, then the Smithsonian 
Institution shall return such objects unless it can overcome such 
inference and prove that it has a right of possession to the objects.
    ``(d) Museum Obligation.--Any museum of the Smithsonian Institution 
which repatriates any item in good faith pursuant to this Act shall not 
be liable for claims by an aggrieved party or for claims of fiduciary 
duty, public trust, or violations of applicable law that are 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act.
    ``(e) Statutory Construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed to prevent the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, with 
respect to any museum of the Smithsonian Institution, from making an 
inventory or preparing a written summary or carrying out the 
repatriation of Native American human remains, associated and 
unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects of cultural 
patrimony in a manner that exceeds the requirements of this section.
    ``(f) Native Hawaiian Organization Defined.--For purposes of this 
section, the term `Native Hawaiian organization' has the meaning 
provided that term in section 2(11) of the Native American Graves 
Protection and Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 3001(11)).''.

SEC. 5. SPECIAL COMMITTEE.

    Section 12 (20 U.S.C. 80q-10) is amended--
            (1) in the first sentence of subsection (a), by inserting 
        ``and unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and 
        objects of cultural patrimony under section 11A'' before the 
        period; and
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
                striking ``five'' and inserting ``7'';
                    (B) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``three'' and inserting 
                        ``4''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (C) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph 
                (3); and
                    (D) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
            ``(2) at least 2 members shall be traditional Indian 
        religious leaders; and'' .
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