Rhode Island General Laws
Chapter 34-44.1 - The Rhode Island Museum Property Act
Section 34-44.1-1. - Definitions.

§ 34-44.1-1. Definitions.
As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context indicates another or different meaning or intent:
(1) “Museum” means an organized and permanent nonprofit or public institution in Rhode Island operated by, or a division of, a nonprofit corporation, trust, association, educational institution, or public agency, that is primarily educational, scientific, historic, or aesthetic in purpose, and that owns, borrows, cares for, studies, archives, or exhibits property. Museums may include, but not be limited to, historical societies, parks, historic sites and monuments, archives, and libraries;
(2) “Property” means any tangible object in the possession of and under a museum’s care that has intrinsic educational, scientific, historical, artistic, aesthetic, or cultural value, excluding the property of any agency or public body as defined in § 38-1-1.1;
(3) “Loan” or “loaned” means a deposit with a museum that: (i) Title to the property is not transferred to the museum, (ii) The loan agreement for such deposit does not include a provision that the museum acquire title at some time after such deposit is made; or (iii) The loan agreement for such deposit includes an option for the museum to acquire title at some time after such deposit is made;
(4) “Lender” means a person (an individual, association, partnership, corporation, trust, estate, or other entity, excluding the property of any agency or public body as defined in § 38-1-1.1) whose name appears on the records of a museum as the person legally entitled to, or claiming to be legally entitled to, property held by the museum or, if such person is deceased, the legal heirs of such person.
(5) “Undocumented property” means property under a museum’s care, excluding the property of any agency or public body as defined in § 38-1-1.1, whose ownership cannot be determined by reference to the museum’s records and for which the museum does not have a reasonable means of determining the owner.
(6) “Publication” means inclusion in the online publication of lists of abandoned property established pursuant to § 33-21.1-18.
History of Section.P.L. 2013, ch. 160, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch. 219, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 69, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 74, § 1.

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