(a)  Upon receiving a written request for repatriation of an item on the inventory, the commission shall forward a copy of the request to the agency or museum in possession of the item, if the criteria specified in subdivision (b) of Section 8016 have been met. At this time, the commission shall also publish the request for repatriation on its Web site for 30 days. If there are no other requests for a particular item and there is not unresolved objection pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 8016 within 90 days of the date of distribution and publication of the inventory or summary and completion of any federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. Sec. 3001 et seq.) repatriation process related to the item, the agency or museum in possession of the item shall repatriate the requested item to the requesting party. This repatriation shall occur within 30 days after the last day of the 90-day period, or on a date agreed upon by all parties.

(b)  Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any requesting party, a tribe, an agency, or a museum from coordinating directly with each other on repatriation, or to prohibit the repatriation at any time of any undisputed items to the requesting party prior to completion of any requirements set forth in this chapter. The commission shall receive, for their records, copies of all repatriation agreements and shall have the power to enforce these agreements.

(Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 818, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2002.)