§9172. Definitions

As used in this subchapter:

(1) Museum

The term "museum" means a public, tribal, or private nonprofit agency or institution organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational, cultural heritage, or aesthetic purposes, that utilizes a professional staff, owns or utilizes tangible objects, cares for the tangible objects, and exhibits the tangible objects to the public on a regular basis. Such term includes museums that have tangible and digital collections and includes aquariums, arboretums, botanical gardens, art museums, children's museums, general museums, historic houses and sites, history museums, nature centers, natural history and anthropology museums, planetariums, science and technology centers, specialized museums, and zoological parks.

(2) State

The term "State" means each of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

(Pub. L. 94–462, title II, §273, formerly §272, as added Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, §101(e) [title VII, §702], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–233 , 3009-303; renumbered §273 and amended Pub. L. 108–81, title III, §§302, 306(1), Sept. 25, 2003, 117 Stat. 1000 , 1002; Pub. L. 111–340, title III, §302, Dec. 22, 2010, 124 Stat. 3603 ; Pub. L. 115–410, §17, Dec. 31, 2018, 132 Stat. 5420 .)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 273 of Pub. L. 94–462 was renumbered section 274 and is classified to section 9173 of this title.

Amendments

2018-Par. (1). Pub. L. 115–410, §17(2), inserted ", cultural heritage," after "educational".

Pub. L. 115–410, §17(1), which directed insertion of ", tribal," after "public", was executed by making the insertion after "public" the first time appearing, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

2010-Par. (1). Pub. L. 111–340 inserted "includes museums that have tangible and digital collections and" after "Such term".

2003-Par. (1). Pub. L. 108–81, §302, inserted at end: "Such term includes aquariums, arboretums, botanical gardens, art museums, children's museums, general museums, historic houses and sites, history museums, nature centers, natural history and anthropology museums, planetariums, science and technology centers, specialized museums, and zoological parks."