Cahokia Mounds Mississippian Culture Study Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1516 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1516

    To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special
   resource study of the Cahokia Mounds, Emerald Mounds, and Pulcher
        Mounds in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 29, 2025

  Mr. Durbin (for himself and Ms. Duckworth) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special
   resource study of the Cahokia Mounds, Emerald Mounds, and Pulcher
        Mounds in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Cahokia Mounds Mississippian Culture
Study Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the city of Cahokia--
                    (A) was inhabited from approximately A.D. 700 to
                1400; and
                    (B) at its peak from A.D. 1050 to 1200--
                            (i) covered nearly 6 square miles; and
                            (ii) was home to 10,000 to 20,000 people;
            (2) more than 120 mounds were built over time at the site
        of the city of Cahokia;
            (3) the site of the city of Cahokia is named for the
        Cahokia subtribe of the Illinois Confederation, who moved into
        the area in the 1600s;
            (4) the city of Cahokia was the central hub and largest
        city of the Mississippian culture that ruled and traded across
        half of North America, more than 1,250,000 square miles;
            (5) the city of Cahokia--
                    (A) was the first known organized urbanization and
                government north of Mexico; and
                    (B) at its peak, was larger than most European
                cities, including London;
            (6) some of the Cahokia Mounds, which were built from A.D.
        900 to 1400, still stand as earthen monuments and remnants of
        Mississippian culture, which is the greatest prehistoric
        ancient culture in North America, the people of which are
        ancestors to many of today's First People and Nations; and
            (7) the Cahokia Mounds are designated as--
                    (A) a National Historic Landmark;
                    (B) an Illinois State Historic Site; and
                    (C) a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and
                Cultural Organization World Heritage Site.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
        of the Interior.
            (2) Study area.--The term ``Study Area'' means--
                    (A) the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site;
                    (B) the Emerald Mounds in St. Clair County,
                Illinois; and
                    (C) the Pulcher Mounds in Monroe and St. Clair
                Counties, Illinois.

SEC. 4. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a special resource study of
the Study Area.
    (b) Contents.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall--
            (1) evaluate the national significance of the Study Area;
            (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of
        designating the Study Area as a unit of the National Park
        System;
            (3) consider other alternatives for preservation,
        protection, and interpretation of the Study Area by--
                    (A) Federal, State, or local governmental entities;
                or
                    (B) private and nonprofit organizations;
            (4) consult with--
                    (A) interested entities of the Federal Government
                or State or local governmental entities;
                    (B) private and nonprofit organizations; or
                    (C) any other interested individuals; and
            (5) identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition,
        development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance
        associated with the alternatives considered under paragraph
        (3).
    (c) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection (a) shall
be conducted in accordance with section 100507 of title 54, United
States Code.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds
are first made available to conduct the study required under subsection
(a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the
House of Representatives a report containing--
            (1) the results of the study; and
            (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
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