Section 10.12 - Review CommitteeThe Review Committee advises the Secretary of the Interior and Congress on matters relating to sections 3003, 3004, and 3005 of the Act and other matters as specified in section 3006 of the Act. The Review Committee is subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA, 5 U.S.C. App.).
(a)Recommendations. Any recommendation, finding, report, or other action of the Review Committee is advisory only and not binding on any person. Any records and findings made by the Review Committee may be admissible as evidence in actions brought by persons alleging a violation of the Act. Findings and recommendations made by the Review Committee must be published in the FEDERAL REGISTER no later than 90 days after making the finding or recommendation.(b)Nominations. The Review Committee consists of seven members appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. (1) Three members are appointed from nominations submitted by Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and traditional religious leaders. At least two of these members must be traditional Indian religious leaders. A traditional Indian religious leader is a person who an Indian Tribe identifies as serving it in the practice of traditional Native American religion.(2) Three members are appointed from nominations submitted by national museum organizations or national scientific organizations. An organization that is created by, is a part of, and is governed in any way by a parent national museum or scientific organization must submit a nomination through the parent organization. National museum organizations and national scientific organizations are organizations that: (i) Focus on the interests of museums and science disciplines throughout the United States, as opposed to a lesser geographical scope;(ii) Offer membership throughout the United States, although such membership need not be exclusive to the United States; and(iii) Are organized under the laws of the United States Government.(3) One member is appointed from a list of more than one person developed and consented to by all other appointed members specified in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section.(c)Findings of fact or disputes on repatriation. The Review Committee may assist any affected party through consideration of findings of fact or disputes related to the inventory, summary, or repatriation provisions of the Act. One or more of the affected parties may request the assistance of the Review Committee or the Secretary of the Interior may direct the Review Committee to consider a finding of fact or dispute. Requests for assistance must be made before repatriation of the human remains or cultural items has occurred.(1) An affected party is either a:(i) Museum or Federal agency that has possession or control of the human remains or cultural items; or(ii) Lineal descendant, or an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with potential cultural affiliation to the human remains or cultural items.(2) The Review Committee may make an advisory finding of fact on questions related to:(i) The identity of an object as human remains or cultural items;(ii) The cultural affiliation of human remains or cultural items; or(iii) The repatriation of human remains or cultural items.(3) The Review Committee may make an advisory recommendation on disputes between affected parties. To facilitate the resolution of disputes, the Review Committee may: (i) Consider disputes between an affected party identified in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section and an affected party identified in paragraph (c)(1)(ii) of this section;(ii) Not consider disputes among lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations;(iii) Not consider disputes among museums and Federal agencies;(iv) Request information or presentations from any affected party; and(v) Make advisory recommendations directly to the affected parties or to the Secretary of the Interior.81 FR 41859, 6/28/2016; 81 FR 64356, 9/20/2016; 82 FR 10867, 2/16/2017; 83 FR 4152, 1/30/2018; 84 FR 6977, 3/1/2019; 85 FR 8190, 2/13/2020; 86 FR 7655, 2/1/2021; 87 FR 4817, 1/31/2022; 88 FR 3317, 1/19/2023; 88 FR 86518, 1/12/2024