S-1516-119
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 478.
Sponsored by Richard Durbin (D-IL)
What it does
This bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of three prehistoric mound sites in Illinois: the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Emerald Mounds, and Pulcher Mounds. The study would evaluate the sites' national significance, assess whether they should be designated as a unit of the National Park System, consider alternative preservation approaches, and consult with federal and state agencies, applicable Indian Tribes, nonprofits, and the public. The Secretary would be required to submit a report with findings and recommendations to Congress within three years of funding being made available.
Who benefits
Residents of Illinois and the broader public who would gain improved access to or preservation of significant prehistoric cultural sites. Federally recognized Indian Tribes with ancestral connections to the Mississippian culture, who would be formally consulted in the study process. Historians, archaeologists, and researchers who study pre-Columbian North American civilizations. Heritage tourism businesses and local economies in the Metro East Illinois region near the sites. Nonprofit preservation organizations already working to protect the mounds.
Who is hurt
Landowners or developers near the study area who could face future restrictions if the sites are ultimately designated as a national park unit, though the study itself imposes no such restrictions. Illinois state agencies currently managing the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site could see their authority or funding priorities affected by a future federal designation. Taxpayers would bear the cost of conducting the study, though no specific appropriation amount is specified in the bill.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that Cahokia was the largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico — home to up to 20,000 people at its peak and the center of a civilization spanning over 1.25 million square miles — yet it lacks the full federal recognition and resources of a National Park System unit. They contend that a formal study is a low-cost, non-binding first step that simply gathers information, and that the site's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Landmark demonstrates its significance already meets a high bar for national recognition.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the Cahokia Mounds site is already protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a National Historic Landmark, and an Illinois State Historic Site, raising questions about whether federal duplication of existing preservation structures is necessary or efficient. They contend that initiating a national park feasibility study creates momentum toward a federal designation that could override state management, impose costs on the federal government, and potentially restrict surrounding land use — all without a clear gap in current protection that the study is designed to address.