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Specific powers and duties - 37 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 302Legal Research Home > Pennsylvania Statutes
§ 302. Specific powers and duties.
The commission shall have the power and duty to:
(1) Pecuniary gifts.--Accept, on behalf of the
Commonwealth, gifts and bequests, including securities, for
the endowment of its work in accordance with the instructions
of the donors and in conjunction with the Governor and State
Treasurer, who shall, together with the members of the
commission, constitute a body of trustees for the care of
these funds. These trustees shall invest the funds in bonds
of the Commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions and
employ the interest and income from these investments for the
purposes of the commission or apply these funds to the uses
specified by the respective donors of the funds. Any donor of
money or other property may specify that the donation shall
be held in the form acquired, or shall be invested in or
converted into some other specific property or class of
investment, in which case the trustees shall be relieved of
all liability which may result from the imprudent investment
of the money so long as they comply with the instructions of
the donor.
(2) Independent and cooperative services or programs.--
Upon its own initiative or in cooperation with historical
societies or organizations, conduct investigations upon
historical or archaeological matters relative to this
Commonwealth and report the findings for public information;
with the approval of the Governor, enter into agreements with
responsible historical associations, foundations and similar
private organizations or with Federal agencies or public
agencies of other states in order to carry on services or
programs.
(3) Archaeological and anthropological investigations.--
Examine, or cause to be examined, research or excavate the
occupation or activity sites or areas and the cultural
material remains of Native American, Colonial American and
more recent American cultures in this Commonwealth, under the
professional direction of the commission through the
techniques of archaeology, anthropology and history; acquire,
by purchase, gift or fieldwork, archaeological or
anthropological collections of objects and data relative to
the cultural history of this Commonwealth; conduct, or cause
to be conducted, archaeological site surveys to locate,
catalog, assess and permanently record these historic
resources throughout this Commonwealth; maintain a central
repository for map locations and written descriptions of such
sites and historic resources; conduct, or cause to be
conducted, research upon the cultural objects and data
related to the cultural history of this Commonwealth and
interpret the results of the research in scientific and
popular publications, exhibits and special educational
programs for the public; and undertake appropriate
conservation, research, restoration and storage of all
material items and data relative to the cultural heritage of
this Commonwealth, which accrue to the archaeological and
anthropological collections of the commission.
(4) Cooperation with qualified historical or
archaeological societies.--Cooperate with any qualified
historical or archaeological society in investigations of
historical or archaeological matters relating to this
Commonwealth and in arranging, cataloging, displaying and
microfilming collections of historical papers and documents,
and objects or materials relative to the natural or cultural
history of this Commonwealth, and otherwise encourage their
activities.
(5) Historical commemorations.--Develop, coordinate and
carry out plans for celebrations commemorating important
historical events, which shall be selected by the commission
or the General Assembly upon passage of a concurrent
resolution, in cooperation with qualified historical or
archaeological societies and other responsible organizations.
(6) Geographic names.--Determine all unsettled questions
concerning geographic names which arise in any department and
determine the names of mountains, rivers, creeks and other
topographic features in this Commonwealth. In the exercise of
its powers and the performance of its duties under this
paragraph, the commission shall cooperate with the United
States Board on Geographic Names.
(7) Procurement of expert advice.--Consult with or
procure the advice of experts in archaeology, anthropology,
history, historical restoration, archival management, museum
work or other fields related to its activities, compensate
them for their services and establish committees of experts
as needed to procure the advice.
(8) Museum assistance and local history grant program.--
Establish and administer the museum assistance and local
history grant program. The commission shall be required to
approve all individual grants. All such grants shall be
subject to audit review by the commission.
(9) Advisory boards.--Create such advisory boards as the
commission may deem appropriate to perform duties designated
by the commission. The names of proposed members of such
advisory boards shall be submitted to the Governor for
approval.
(10) Police powers.--Exercise the police powers
necessary to enforce the law, including the rules and
regulations of the commission. Authorized employees shall
have full power to make arrests, with or without warrant, for
all violations of law which they may witness upon the
premises of any historic property to which they are assigned
and may serve and execute warrants issued by proper
authorities for any violation of law committed thereon.
(11) Rules and regulations.--Promulgate rules and
regulations necessary for the implementation of its powers
and duties.
(12) Annual reports.--Annually transmit to the State
Government Committees of the House of Representatives and the
Senate a report which includes the following:
(i) A summary of the overall condition of museums
and historic sites and holdings, including staffing
levels and site visits by senior management personnel.
(ii) A report on the operation of the Conservation
Center.
(iii) A summary of all publications completed by the
commission during the prior year.
(iv) A summary of collection deaccessioning
activities.
(v) A summary of the progress in computerization of
collections and inventories.
(13) Hold harmless authority.--Hold the Federal
Government harmless from damages due to construction,
operation and maintenance of the Erie Harbor East Canal Basin
dredging project under the Water Resources Development Act of
1986 (Public Law 99-662, 33 U.S.C. § 2213(j)), except for
damages due to the fault or negligence of the Federal
Government or its contractors.
(14) Publications.--To sell to the public, at a store or
by other methods, any publications selected by the commission
for sale and published by any department, board, commission
or officer of the Commonwealth, except documents published
for the Governor and the General Assembly which shall be
distributed by the Governor and the General Assembly without
charge. To administer this paragraph, the commission may
publish, for free distribution, a price list showing the
publications which the commission is prepared to sell to the
public and the charges for each publication. The commission
shall transfer at least annually, to the fund from which the
cost of the publication was paid, the actual cost of
production of any publications sold during that period. Any
remaining proceeds from the sale of a publication by the
commission shall be deposited in the Historical Preservation
Fund.
(Nov. 23, 1994, P.L.639, No.97, eff. imd.; Dec. 9, 2002,
P.L.1395, No.173, eff. imd.)
2002 Amendment. Act 173 added par. (14).
1994 Amendment. Act 97 added par. (13).
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Last modified: November 27, 2007 |
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