Report 2022-107 Recommendation 8 Responses

Report 2022-107: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act: The California State University Must Do More to Ensure the Timely Return of Native American Remains and Cultural Items to Tribes (Release Date: June 2023)

Recommendation #8 To: University, California State

To ensure that campuses have the funding necessary to comply with NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA, the Chancellor's Office should, after evaluating the reasonableness of campuses' estimates, either identify and provide the required funding from existing systemwide or campus resources or seek additional funding from the Legislature, to ensure that campuses have adequate funding to support their NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA activities.

1-Year Agency Response

The CSU's 2024-25 operating budget request of the State of California includes $4.25 million for NAGPRA compliance. Funds have been requested to create university and systemwide positions, as well as for operational costs.

Fiscal decisions will be made after the passage of the 2024-25 state budget in June. Planning will also soon begin for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The state's multi-billion-dollar deficit resulted in the Governor's May Revision proposal including a $75 million cut to the CSU's base budget.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

6-Month Agency Response

As noted in the response to recommendation #7, campuses were directed to develop operational NAGPRA budgets and submit them to the Chancellor's Office by December 15, 2023.

The Chancellor's Office is in the process of evaluating the campus budget estimates for reasonableness and identifying available existing funding. Once final estimates are determined, by March 2024, the Chancellor's Office will seek any additional funding needed from the Legislature.

In the meantime, the Board of Trustees approved the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget plan, which includes $4.25 million allocated to state and federal NAGPRA compliance. Existing sources would cover $2.25 million, with an additional $2 million being requested from the Legislature.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

The Chancellor's Office plans to issue a Repatriation Implementation Plan to campuses. The Repatriation Implementation Plan will require campuses to develop operational NAGPRA budgets. The Chancellor's Office will evaluate the reasonableness of campuses' budget estimates and either identify and provide the required funding from existing systemwide or campus resources or seek additional funding from the Legislature. In addition, the CSU's 2024-25 proposed operating budget will identify the need for future investments to support NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA compliance.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2022-107

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.