Division of Museums seeks authority to charge curation fees, update statutes

The Assembly Committee on Government Affairs heard Senate Bill 27 from Dan Thieleman, administrator of the Nevada Division of Museums and History, which seeks updates to the statutes that govern the state's museums.

Thieleman told the committee the bill would remove "archaic" language that currently vests certain collection decisions "at the sole discretion of the board," create statutory authority to charge for curation and storage services and standardize naming conventions for state museums (for example, "Nevada State Museum, Carson City"). "At that time... it says at the sole discretion of the board. That's the language we'd like to remove," Thieleman said.

Division officials said the change to allow curation fees is needed because the museums sometimes provide services to other state and federal agencies, counties and private parties — including long-term storage of Native American remains while repatriation is arranged. The bill, Thieleman said, would permit the division to charge for services such as storage, curation and specialized studies and would reduce pressure on the general fund by offsetting costs with fees.

Thieleman also described a naming-convention amendment (submitted to the committee) to ensure consistent geographic descriptors when adding or renaming future museums.

There was no public testimony in support or opposition recorded during the committee's public-comment periods for SB 27, and no committee action was taken at the hearing. Thieleman closed by inviting committee members and the public to visit the museums around the state.