Bill > HB1603

This bill provides a $500,000 appropriation from the state's general fund to the North Dakota State Historical Society to support compliance with the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) during the 2025-2027 biennium. The bill requires establishing a compliance committee comprised of tribal historic preservation officers from each North Dakota tribe, representatives from the state historical society, Indian affairs commission, and the attorney general's office. Each participating tribe will provide matching funds up to $100,000, and the funds will be maintained in a separate account overseen by the office of management and budget. The committee's primary responsibilities include identifying and prioritizing efforts to repatriate culturally significant Native American items such as human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony. The bill specifically prohibits using these funds for new scientific studies of Native American ancestral remains or burial property, focusing instead on facilitation, training, consultation, and documentation to support the return of culturally significant items to North Dakota tribal nations.