2023 New York Laws › EDN - Education › Title 1 - General Provisions › Article 5 - University of the State of New York › Part 1 - General Organization › 233 - State Museum; Collections Made by the Staff.

§ 233. State  Museum; collections made by the staff. 1. All scientific
  specimens and collections, works of art, objects  of  historic  interest
  and  similar  property  appropriate to a general museum, if owned by the
  state and  not  placed  in  other  custody  by  a  specific  law,  shall
  constitute  the  collections of the state museum. The state museum shall
  be the custodian of the collections, shall perform standard  curatorial,
  research  and  educational  activities  and  a director appointed by the
  regents shall constitute its head.
2. Any scientific collection made by a  member  of  the  museum  staff
  during  his  term  of  office  shall,  unless  otherwise  authorized  by
  resolution of the regents, belong to the state  and  form  part  of  the
  state museum.
3.  The  state  of New York, through its legislative authority accepts
  the provisions of section one hundred twenty of the federal-aid  highway
  act of nineteen hundred fifty-six (70 Stat. 374) relating to the salvage
  of  archaeological or paleontological objects, including but not limited
  to ruins, historic sites, Indian burial grounds, cemeteries,  buildings,
  artifacts,  fossils  or,  other  objects  of  antiquity  having national
  significance  from  an  historical,  cultural,  social   or   scientific
  standpoint,  and  empowers  and directs the commissioner of education to
  promulgate  joint  regulations  with  the  department  of  environmental
  conservation,  the  office of general services, and the office of parks,
  recreation and historic preservation and make agreements with those  and
  other  appropriate  state  departments  or  agencies  and such agency or
  agencies as needed to carry out the purposes of such provision of law.
4. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision three of this  section,
  no  person  shall  investigate, excavate, remove, injure, appropriate or
  destroy any object  of  archaeological,  historical,  cultural,  social,
  scientific  or  paleontological interest, situated on, in or under lands
  owned by the state of New York, without the written  permission  of  the
  commissioner   of   education.  A  violation  of  this  provision  shall
  constitute  a  class  A  misdemeanor.  The  attorney   general,   either
  independently  or  upon  referral  from a state agency, shall seek civil
  and/or criminal prosecution, civil and/or  criminal  penalties  and  any
  other relief, including but not limited to seizure and forfeiture of the
  appropriate  items,  and  forfeiture  of  the  instrumentalities  of the
  unauthorized actions on state lands. The discovery of any  such  objects
  shall  be forthwith reported to the commissioner by the state department
  or agency having jurisdiction over such lands.
5.  Permits  for  the  examination,   excavation   or   gathering   of
  archaeological,    historical,    cultural,    social,   scientific   or
  paleontological  objects  upon  the   lands   under   their   respective
  jurisdictions  may be granted by the heads of those state departments or
  agencies to persons authorized by the commissioner of education for  the
  purposes  of the state museum and state science service, for the purpose
  of the preservation of any such objects worthy of permanent preservation
  and, in all cases, to the acquisition  and  dissemination  of  knowledge
  relating thereto.