[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 956 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 956

To establish the Land Between the Rivers National Heritage Area in the 
               State of Illinois, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 21, 2007

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish the Land Between the Rivers National Heritage Area 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 ``Land Between the Rivers Southern 
Illinois National Heritage Area Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) southern Illinois has a cohesive, distinctive, and 
        important landscape that distinguishes the area as worthy of 
        designation as a National Heritage Area;
            (2) the historic features of southern Illinois reflect a 
        period during which the area was the strategic convergence 
        point during the westward expansion of the United States;
            (3) the geographic centrality of southern Illinois ensured 
        that the area played a pivotal military, social, and political 
        role during the Civil War, which resulted in the area being 
        known as the ``Confluence of Freedom'';
            (4) southern Illinois is at the junction of the ending 
        glaciers and 6 ecological divisions;
            (5) after the expeditions of Lewis and Clark, the land 
        between the rivers became known as ``Egypt'' because of the 
        rivers in, and the beauty and agricultural abundance of, the 
        area;
            (6) Native Americans described the area in southern 
        Illinois between the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers as the ``Land 
        Between the Rivers'';
            (7) a feasibility study led by the Office of Economic and 
        Regional Development at Southern Illinois University Carbondale 
        that was revised in April 2006 documents a sufficient 
        assemblage of nationally distinctive historic resources to 
        demonstrate the feasibility of, and the need for, establishing 
        the Land Between the Rivers National Heritage Area; and
            (8) stakeholders participating in the feasibility study 
        process for the Heritage Area have developed a proposed 
        management entity and financial plan to preserve the natural, 
        cultural, historic, and scenic features of the area while 
        furthering recreational and educational opportunities in the 
        area.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Heritage area.--The term ``Heritage Area'' means the 
        Land Between the Rivers National Heritage Area established by 
        section 4(a).
            (2) Management entity.--The term ``management entity'' 
        means the management entity for the Heritage Area designated by 
        section 4(c).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (4) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Illinois.

SEC. 4. LAND BETWEEN THE RIVERS NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the State the Land 
Between the Rivers National Heritage Area.
    (b) Boundaries.--The Heritage Area shall include--
            (1) Kincaid Mound, Fort de Chartres, Kaskaskia, Fort 
        Massac, Wilkinsonville Contonment, the Lewis and Clark 
        Sculpture, Flat Boat, Cave-in-Rock, the Shawneetown Bank 
        Building, the Iron Furnace, the Crenshaw ``Slave House,'' Roots 
        House, the site of the Lincoln-Douglas debate, certain sites 
        associated with John A. Logan, the Fort Defiance Planning Map, 
        Mound City National Cemetary, and Riverlore Mansion; and
            (2) any other sites in Randolph, Perry, Jefferson, 
        Franklin, Hamilton, White, Jackson, Williamson, Saline, 
        Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski, and 
        Massac Counties in the State that the Secretary, in 
        consultation with the management entity, determines to be 
        appropriate for inclusion in the Heritage Area.
    (c) Management Entity.--The management entity for the Heritage Area 
shall be the Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
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