(a)  Any property in the possession of a museum that is not subject to a loan agreement shall be deemed to be abandoned if:

(1)  The property is unclaimed and has been in the possession of the museum as unclaimed property for at least five (5) years;

(2)  The museum has given notice, in accordance with the provisions of § 34-44.1-5; and

(3)  No claim of ownership is made or action to recover such property is filed on or before sixty (60) days after the publication of the notice.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 34-44.1-3

  • 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. See Rhode Island General Laws 34-44.1-1
  • 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 Rhode Island General Laws 34-44.1-1
  • Publication: means inclusion in the online publication of lists of abandoned property established pursuant to Rhode Island General Laws 34-44.1-1

(b)  Any abandoned property in the possession of a museum shall become the property of such museum.

History of Section.
P.L. 2013, ch. 160, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch. 219, § 1.