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SB0232A -1- 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
"An Act relating to personal use collection of certain fossils." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 41.35.080 is amended to read: 3
Sec. 41.35.080. Research permits [PERMITS]. The commissioner may issue 4
a research permit for the investigation, excavation, gathering, or removal from the 5
natural state, of any historic, prehistoric, or archeological resources of the state. A 6
research permit may be issued only to persons or organizations qualified to make the 7
investigations, excavations, gatherings, or removals and only if the results of these 8
authorized activities will be made available to the general public through institutions 9
and museums interested in disseminating knowledge on the subjects involved. If the 10
historic, prehistoric, or archeological resource involved is one which is, or is located 11
on a site which is, sacred, holy, or of religious significance to a cultural group, the 12
consent of that cultural group must be obtained before a research permit may be 13
issued under this section. 14
* Sec. 2. AS 41.35 is amended by adding a new section to read: 15
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SB 232 -2- SB0232A
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Sec. 41.35.085. Personal use collection. (a) A person may collect certain 1
fossils for personal use on state land that is managed by the department other than a 2
state park or a state game refuge. Personal use collection is limited to a daily total of 3
25 pounds of certain fossils, 50 pounds of aggregate material that may contain certain 4
fossils, or one invertebrate fossil greater than 50 pounds. Personal use collection may 5
not be used for research purposes or for the collection of fossils that will be made 6
available to the general public through an institution or museum. Certain fossils 7
collected for personal use may not be sold or used for commercial purposes. 8
(b) A person engaging in personal use collection is responsible for ensuring 9
personal use collection occurs in an open area and that the certain fossils collected 10
meet the criteria for personal use collection under (a) of this section. 11
(c) When collecting fossils under this section, the person may use only hand 12
tools that are not electric or battery-powered and shall cause only minimal surface 13
disturbance. 14
* Sec. 3. AS 41.35.200(a) is amended to read: 15
(a) Except as provided in AS 41.35.085, a [A] person may not appropriate, 16
excavate, remove, injure, or destroy, without a permit from the commissioner, any 17
historic, prehistoric, or archeological resources of the state. 18
* Sec. 4. AS 41.35.230(2) is amended to read: 19
(2) "historic, prehistoric, and archeological resources" includes 20
deposits, structures, ruins, sites, buildings, graves, artifacts, fossils, fossilized tracks 21
or fossilized burrows, or other objects of antiquity which provide information 22
pertaining to the historical or prehistorical culture of people in the state as well as to 23
the natural history of the state. 24
* Sec. 5. AS 41.35.230 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 25
(3) "certain fossils" means plant fossils, invertebrate animal fossils, or 26
fossilized tracks from or fossilized burrows made by an invertebrate animal. 27