{"format":1,"id":"117-s-1942","congress":117,"number":"S. 1942","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"National Heritage Area Act","title_source":"Short Titles as Enacted","official_title":"A bill to standardize the designation of National Heritage Areas, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"A bill to standardize the designation of National Heritage Areas, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Titles from ENR (Enrolled) bill text","title":"National Heritage Area Act"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"National Heritage Area Act"},{"type":"Short Titles as Enacted","title":"National Heritage Area Act"},{"type":"Short Titles as Passed House","title":"National Heritage Area Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed Senate","title":"National Heritage Area Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate","title":"National Heritage Area Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"National Heritage Area Act"}],"outcome":"became_law","law_number":"Public Law 117-339","introduced":"2021-05-27","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2022-12-22","vote":{"id":"117-2022-h540","question":"On Passage","title":"National Heritage Area Act","result":"Passed","yea":326,"nay":95,"present":0,"not_voting":9,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2022/roll540.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"voice","date":"2022-12-20","vote":null,"how":"unanimous_consent","words":"Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent."}},"president":{"status":"signed","date":"2023-01-05"},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Became Public Law No: 117-339.","date":"2023-01-05"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2023-01-05","stage":"Public Law","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"National Heritage Area Act"},{"k":"p","t":"This act establishes a National Heritage Area System."},{"k":"p","t":"The Department of the Interior may provide technical and financial assistance to local coordinating entities to support the establishment, development, and continuity of such areas."},{"k":"p","t":"The National Heritage Area System shall be composed of"},{"k":"li","t":"each National Heritage Area, National Heritage Corridor, National Heritage Canalway, Cultural Heritage Corridor, National Heritage Route, and National Heritage Partnership designated by Congress before or on enactment of this act; and","d":1},{"k":"li","t":"each National Heritage Area designated by Congress after enactment of this act.","d":1},{"k":"p","t":"A National Heritage Area shall not be considered to be a unit of the National Park System nor subject to the authorities applicable to such units."},{"k":"p","t":"Interior may carry out or review a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of each proposed heritage area for designation as a National Heritage Area. Interior must review and certify whether the proposed area meets specified requirements, including that it has natural, historic, and cultural resources that represent distinctive aspects of the heritage of the United States."},{"k":"p","t":"An area shall be designated as a National Heritage Area only by an act of Congress."},{"k":"p","t":"Interior shall conduct studies to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating specified areas in Hawaii as the Kaena Point National Heritage Area and in Virginia and North Carolina as the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area."},{"k":"p","t":"The act also (1) establishes or extends specified National Heritage Areas, (2) redesignates the America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership in Iowa as the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area, and (3) extends the deadline for the management plans for certain heritage areas."}],"words":267},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Establishes a statutory National Heritage Area System in title 54 of the United States Code, designates eight new National Heritage Areas, authorizes three feasibility studies, and extends the authority for existing heritage areas.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#id983899F6834B40C28B7728384B2C9D45:~:text=2.%20National%20Heritage%20Area%20System"},{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#idD0FB436D48834B01A3A856348AA2E856:~:text=3.%20Authorization%20of%20certain%20National%20Heritage%20Area"},{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#id5bb955cb1ae342a0acb171dee1c0ee1c:~:text=4.%20National%20Heritage%20Area%20designations"},{"label":"Sec. 5","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#id6dd4cff980ac45779bee48941ce84c99:~:text=5.%20Extension%20of%20certain%20National%20Heritage%20Area"}]},"core_areas":["National Heritage Area System and Department of the Interior assistance","Feasibility studies for proposed National Heritage Areas","Designation of new National Heritage Areas","Extension of existing National Heritage Area authorities","Authorization of appropriations for National Heritage Areas","Renaming of existing heritage areas"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Establishes a National Heritage Area System through which the Secretary of the Interior may provide technical and financial assistance to local coordinating entities, and provides that a National Heritage Area is not a unit of the National Park System.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#id983899F6834B40C28B7728384B2C9D45:~:text=2.%20National%20Heritage%20Area%20System"}},{"text":"Provides that an area may be designated as a National Heritage Area only by an Act of Congress, and sets out the requirements for a feasibility study of a proposed area.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#id983899F6834B40C28B7728384B2C9D45:~:text=2.%20National%20Heritage%20Area%20System"}},{"text":"Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct studies of the suitability and feasibility of designating the Kaena Point National Heritage Area in Hawaii, the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area in Virginia and North Carolina, and a National Heritage Area in Guam.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#idD0FB436D48834B01A3A856348AA2E856:~:text=3.%20Authorization%20of%20certain%20National%20Heritage%20Area"}},{"text":"Establishes the Alabama Black Belt, Bronzeville-Black Metropolis, Downeast Maine, Northern Neck, St. Croix, Southern Maryland National Heritage Areas and the Southern Campaign of the Revolution National Heritage Corridor, and names a local coordinating entity for each.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#id5bb955cb1ae342a0acb171dee1c0ee1c:~:text=4.%20National%20Heritage%20Area%20designations"}},{"text":"Extends the authority for 45 existing National Heritage Areas to September 30, 2037, and authorizes not more than $1,000,000 per area for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2037.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 5","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#id6dd4cff980ac45779bee48941ce84c99:~:text=5.%20Extension%20of%20certain%20National%20Heritage%20Area"}},{"text":"Redesignates the America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership as the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area and changes the Great Basin National Heritage Route to the Great Basin National Heritage Area.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 7","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#id0cd4b75c254e4440b1789b826b885f9a"}}],"unexpected":[{"category":"place_specific_amount","items":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 6","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr#id5b881d329820446eaccce351403755b9:~:text=6.%20Authorization%20of%20appropriations%20for%20certain%20National"},"heading":"Authorization of appropriations for certain National Heritage Areas","effect":"Raises the authorized appropriations ceiling for ten named National Heritage Areas, by amounts such as $20,000,000 to $22,000,000, $17,000,000 to $19,000,000, and $12,000,000 to $14,000,000.","amount":null,"quote":"is amended, in the second sentence, by striking “$20,000,000” and inserting “$22,000,000”."}]}],"version":{"type":"Enrolled Bill","date":null,"rule":"enrolled","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text/enr"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1942/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-s-1942.png","v":"d59980608c40","alt":"Votes on Record. S. 1942, 117th Congress: National Heritage Area Act. House: 326 Yea, 95 Nay. Senate: unanimous consent. Outcome: Became law, 5 Jan 2023."}}