§ 15-1631 — State museum; fees

A. There shall be a state museum for the collection and preservation of the archaeological resources, specimens of the mineral wealth and the flora and fauna of this state.

B. The Arizona board of regents shall direct and manage the museum and shall set apart sufficient space to accommodate it.

C. The Arizona board of regents shall adopt any fees for services performed by the state museum pursuant to title 41, chapter 4.1, article 4 and section 41-865.

D. Before submitting a proposal to the Arizona board of regents to increase fees for services, the director of the state museum shall provide notice of the intent to increase fees for services on the website of the state museum before January 1. The notice of intent must:

1. Include a justification for the fee increase, which shall contain:

(a) The amount of the proposed fee increase.

(b) A list of the persons who will be directly affected by, bear the costs of or directly benefit from the proposed fee increase.

(c) An analysis of each of the following:

(i) The rationale for the proposed fee increase with a description of the statutory responsibilities that the state museum intends to fulfill with the proposed fee increase.

(ii) An explanation of the services that the state museum will provide with the proposed fee increase to this state, political subdivisions, other agencies and businesses.

(iii) A description of any efforts to avoid fee increases or to reduce the costs or regulatory burden, or both, to the businesses, persons and consumers that will be directly affected by the proposed fee increase.

(d) A description of the methodology used to calculate the proposed fee increase and a detailed explanation of the costs included in the fee methodology.

2. Be provided to the Arizona board of regents for submittal to the secretary of state for publication in the register pursuant to section 41-1013.

E. In addition to the duties prescribed in subsection D of this section, the director of the state museum shall:

1. At the same time the Arizona board of regents submits notice of the proposed fee increase to the secretary of state pursuant to subsection D, paragraph 2 of this section, notify by regular mail, fax or e-mail each person who has made a timely request to the state museum for notification of proposed fee changes, proposed policy changes or any other proposed change relating to the state museum. The state museum may purge the list of persons who have requested these notifications once each year.

2. Post the draft of the proposal to increase fees for services on the website of the state museum on or before the second Monday of the calendar year.

3. Provide an opportunity for public comment regarding the proposal to increase fees for services for at least thirty days after publication by the secretary of state in the register. Public comment may include written comments, comments submitted through e-mail and oral comments.

4. If applicable, post on the website of the state museum a revised draft of the proposal to increase fees for services at the end of the public comment period. The revised draft shall include a summary and response to any comments received during the public comment period and a summary of the alternatives that were considered and a rationale for why those alternatives were not selected.

5. Provide an opportunity for public comment for at least twenty days regarding the revised draft of the proposal to increase fees for services. Public comment may include written comments, comments submitted through e-mail and oral comments.

6. Not later than five business days after the end of the public comment period, post on the website of the state museum a final draft of the proposal to increase fees for services along with the expected date that the Arizona board of regents will consider the proposed increase.

F. Any proposal submitted by the state museum to the Arizona board of regents to increase fees shall include the information prescribed in subsections D and E of this section.