SB 232

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                                       SENATE BILL NO. 232
                    IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
                   THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
 BY SENATOR YUNDT
 Introduced: 2/4/26
 Referred: Education, Resources
                                             A BILL
                                      FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
1  "An Act relating to personal use collection of certain fossils."
2  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
3    * Section 1. AS 41.35.080 is amended to read:
4Sec. 41.35.080. Research permits [PERMITS]. The commissioner may issue
5a research permit for the investigation, excavation, gathering, or removal from the
6natural state, of any historic, prehistoric, or archeological resources of the state. A
7research permit may be issued only to persons or organizations qualified to make the
8investigations, excavations, gatherings, or removals and only if the results of these
9authorized activities will be made available to the general public through institutions
10and museums interested in disseminating knowledge on the subjects involved. If the
11historic, prehistoric, or archeological resource involved is one which is, or is located
12on a site which is, sacred, holy, or of religious significance to a cultural group, the
13consent of that cultural group must be obtained before a research permit may be
14issued under this section.
15   * Sec. 2. AS 41.35 is amended by adding a new section to read:
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1Sec. 41.35.085. Personal use collection. (a) A person may collect certain
2fossils for personal use on state land that is managed by the department other than a
3state park or a state game refuge. Personal use collection is limited to a daily total of
425 pounds of certain fossils, 50 pounds of aggregate material that may contain certain
5fossils, or one invertebrate fossil greater than 50 pounds. Personal use collection may
6not be used for research purposes or for the collection of fossils that will be made
7available to the general public through an institution or museum. Certain fossils
8collected for personal use may not be sold or used for commercial purposes.
9(b) A person engaging in personal use collection is responsible for ensuring
10personal use collection occurs in an open area and that the certain fossils collected
11meet the criteria for personal use collection under (a) of this section.
12(c) When collecting fossils under this section, the person may use only hand
13tools that are not electric or battery-powered and shall cause only minimal surface
14disturbance.
15  * Sec. 3. AS 41.35.200(a) is amended to read:
16(a) Except as provided in AS 41.35.085, a [A] person may not appropriate,
17excavate, remove, injure, or destroy, without a permit from the commissioner, any
18historic, prehistoric, or archeological resources of the state.
19  * Sec. 4. AS 41.35.230(2) is amended to read:
20(2)    "historic, prehistoric, and archeological resources" includes
21deposits, structures, ruins, sites, buildings, graves, artifacts, fossils, fossilized tracks
22or fossilized burrows, or other objects of antiquity which provide information
23pertaining to the historical or prehistorical culture of people in the state as well as to
24the natural history of the state.
25  * Sec. 5. AS 41.35.230 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read:
26(3) "certain fossils" means plant fossils, invertebrate animal fossils, or
27fossilized tracks from or fossilized burrows made by an invertebrate animal.
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