(a)  The state historical preservation commission shall be the agency responsible for administering the archaeology and underwater archaeology programs. The commission is empowered to prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary to preserve, protect, recover, and display underwater historic properties and specimens derived from archaeological sites. The rules and regulations may include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1)  Issuance of permits for the conduct of field investigations;

(2)  Requirements for reporting on the results of field investigations;

(3)  Provisions for the preservation and display of specimens; and

(4)  Fair compensation to the permittee for underwater historic properties recovered.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 42-45.1-5

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  The rules and regulations, when approved by the governor of the state, shall be subject to the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act, chapter 35 of this title.

(c)  Any person conducting field investigations shall be responsible for obtaining permission of any federal or state agencies having jurisdiction prior to conducting any recovery operation. Title to all objects and specimens recovered from the field investigations shall be retained by the state.

History of Section.
G.L. 1956, § 42-45.1-5; P.L. 1974, ch. 161, § 1.