Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. The California State University comprises 23 institutions of higher education located throughout the state.
The California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 2001 requires all agencies and museums, which is defined to include higher education institutions, that receive state funding and have possession or control over collections of California Native American human remains and associated funerary objects to inventory those remains and objects for repatriation to the appropriate California Indian tribes, as specified.
Existing law requires the California State University to comply with additional requirements regarding the handling, maintenance, and repatriation of Native American human remains and cultural items under the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 2001, including adopting and implementing policies and procedures on the systemwide requirements for submitting, processing, and implementing claims for the repatriation of human remains and cultural items, as specified.
This bill would require, as part of the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 2001, the California State University, in consultation with tribes, to develop a policy to identify available California State University-owned land for the burial of Native American human remains and designate 3 burial sites statewide, as specified. Following repatriation of Native American human remains by the California State University to a tribe, the bill would require the California State University, upon request of the tribe, to facilitate the burial of the human remains at one of the 3 designated burial sites, as specified.