TITLE 12 CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Section 3. Parks, Historic Areas, Memorials, and Recreation, 12-3-1 through 12-3-708.

ARTICLE 3 HISTORIC AREAS

12-3-57. Legislative findings; historical and cultural museum assistance program; responsibilities.

1. As used in this Code section, the term:
   1. "Director" means the director of the Division of Historic Preservation of the department.
   2. "Division" means the Division of Historic Preservation of the department.
   3. "Local jurisdiction" means any county or municipality in this state and any duly authorized agency or instrumentality of a county or municipality.
   4. "Museum" means a facility in this state which is organized on a nonprofit basis for essentially educational or preservation purposes and which:
      1. Owns or utilizes tangible inanimate objects of historical or cultural significance;
      2. Is organized for the care of those objects and exhibits them to the public on a regular schedule; and
      3. Interprets the state's cultural heritage or the state's history, natural history, or history of science and technology.
   5. "Nonprofit organization" means a corporation, foundation, local jurisdiction, or other legal entity, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual holding an interest in such entity.
   6. "Program" means the historical and cultural museum assistance program established under subsection (e) of this Code section.
2. 1. It is found and declared by the General Assembly that:
      1. Historical and cultural heritage museums present, interpret, and preserve unusual and significant objects of this state's heritage for the benefit, enjoyment, and education of the citizens from every community in the state;
      2. Historical and cultural heritage museums are unique and beneficial resources which supplement the state's educational system;
      3. These museums are the repositories and caretakers of irreplaceable cultural items for the benefit not only of today's generation, but of those yet to come;
      4. Museums, many of which are located in small communities, play an important and cost-effective role in the leisure time and tourism industry of this state; and
      5. It is desirable that the entire history and heritage of the state be displayed and interpreted to the public where this happened, creating centers of community pride and dispersing tourist activity throughout the state.
   2. The General Assembly declares that the public interest is served by the establishment of a program of financial and technical assistance to help historical and cultural heritage museums become more accessible to the citizens and visitors of this state and to assist the citizenry in better understanding its diverse cultural heritage by supporting the upgrade, care, research, interpretation, documentation, and display of the state's irreplaceable historical and cultural museum collections.
3. Pending appropriation of funding to conduct such, there is established a historical and cultural museum assistance program in the division to provide assistance to local jurisdictions and private nonprofit organizations for museums.
4. The department shall:
   1. Manage, supervise, and administer the program; and
   2. Coordinate the program with federal, state, or private programs that complement or facilitate carrying out the program.
5. 1. The purpose of the program is to make grants to local jurisdictions and nonprofit organizations for use by museums for:
      1. Research related to collections, exhibits, or other educational activities;
      2. The care, conservation, interpretation, and documentation of collections;
      3. The planning, design, and construction of exhibits;
      4. Educational programs and projects;
      5. The development of master plans for museums, including activities required to achieve accreditation by the American Association of Museums or other pertinent entity that provides museum accreditation;
      6. The construction of minor structural modifications to existing museum facilities; and
      7. The development of plans and specifications and the provision of architectural, engineering, or other special services directly related to the construction or rehabilitation of museum facilities.
   2. Grants may not be made:
      1. For routine administrative overhead expenses; or
      2. To museums operated, in whole or in part, by this state.
   3. In any fiscal year, the commissioner may allocate up to 20 percent of the total moneys appropriated for the program to be held in reserve for unanticipated projects that are eligible for assistance in accordance with paragraph (2) of subsection (d) of this Code section.
   4. The department shall make grants to museums giving due consideration to equal geographic distribution throughout the state.
   5. A grant may not exceed $10,000.00 to any single museum in any one year.
   6. The department may not make a grant to a museum under this program unless the museum has been in existence as a nonprofit institution for at least five years prior to the date of application for the grant.
6. The department shall:
   1. Conduct a survey to identify the locations, resources, and needs of museums in this state;
   2. Provide technical and general advisory assistance to museums that qualify or seek to qualify for grants under the program; and
   3. Encourage the development of long-range planning and accreditation by the American Association of Museums or other pertinent entity that provides museum accreditation and assists museums in meeting professional standards.
7. 1. The department shall carry out the purposes of the program under provisions of Article 5 of Chapter 5 of Title 28, the "Fair and Open Grants Act of 1993," as amended.
   2. The filing by the department with the Secretary of State under the provisions of Article 5 of Chapter 5 of Title 28, the "Fair and Open Grants Act of 1993," as amended, shall include:
      1. Application procedures and review processes;
      2. Procedures for adequate public notice of available assistance under the program; and
      3. A set of selection criteria which the division shall consider in recommending approval of applications for grants and which must include:
         1. The relative merits of the project or activities within identified state-wide needs;
         2. The extent to which there is any contribution by the appropriate local jurisdiction to support the project being financed by the grant;
         3. The potential for the project to stimulate increased tourism, attendance, or museum self-sufficiency; and
         4. Other factors that may be relevant, such as the geographic distribution of grant assistance under the program.

(Code 1981, §12-3-57, enacted by Ga. L. 1998, p. 1037, § 1; Ga. L. 2001, p. 4, § 12.)