1. (a) Qualified applicants meeting one or more of the following criteria may be granted access by the THSA Coordinator:

   1. (1) Meet the Secretary of Interior's Professional Qualifications Standards (36 CFR Part 61) for Archeology.
   2. (2) Meet the definition of professional archeologist, or principal investigator as defined by §26.5 of this title (relating to Definitions).
   3. (3) Be a current member of the Texas Archeological Stewardship Network.
2. (b) Applications from persons not meeting the criteria set forth in subsection (a) of this section must have a clear and legitimate scientific or legal interest in being granted access to RCRI. Their applications will be reviewed by the access committee, and access will be granted or denied by the committee as specified in §24.19 of this title (relating to Restricted Information Application Submission and Review Procedures).
3. (c) If an applicant is denied access to RCRI, the applicant may appeal that decision before the commission at one of its regularly scheduled public meetings. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the commission at least 30 days prior to a scheduled meeting of the commission.

Source Note:The provisions of this §24.17 adopted to be effective December 6, 1998, 23 TexReg 11920; amended to be effective November 28, 2012, 37 TexReg 9353.