| 1 | 1 | | By: Zwiener H.B. No. 5248 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | Relating to the establishment of a task force to provide |
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| 7 | 7 | | recommendations for the repatriation and disposition of Indigenous |
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| 8 | 8 | | objects held by state institutions and agencies. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle D, Chapter 442, Texas Historical |
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| 11 | 11 | | Commission is amended by adding section 442.0066. to read as |
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| 12 | 12 | | follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 442.0069. NATIVE AMERICAN PROTECTION AND REPATRIATION |
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| 14 | 14 | | TASK FORCE. (a) The Texas Historical Commission shall establish a |
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| 15 | 15 | | task force to investigate and provide recommendations for the |
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| 16 | 16 | | repatriation and disposition of Native American and indigenous |
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| 17 | 17 | | human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and other objects |
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| 18 | 18 | | of cultural patrimony that are held by state institutions and |
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| 19 | 19 | | agencies. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) The task force shall operate for no more than two years |
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| 21 | 21 | | from the date of which it is established by the commission. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (c) The task force shall consist of representatives from the |
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| 23 | 23 | | following groups: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (1) Federally recognized indigenous tribes who have |
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| 25 | 25 | | ancestral ties to Texas. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) Non-federally recognized indigenous tribes who |
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| 27 | 27 | | have ancestral ties to Texas and have requested remains or other |
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| 28 | 28 | | objects through the Native American Graves Protection and |
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| 29 | 29 | | Repatriation process previously. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (3) The Texas Historical Commission. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (4) The State Archeological Program. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (d) The Texas Historical Commission may include other |
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| 33 | 33 | | non-federally recognized indigenous tribes at their discretion. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (e) The Task Force shall provide an annual report with their |
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| 35 | 35 | | recommendations to the Legislature no later than December 31 each |
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| 36 | 36 | | year they are active. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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