1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the “New Philadelphia, Illinois, Study Act”.
New Philadelphia, Illinois, Study Act
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the archeological site and surrounding land of the New Philadelphia town site in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes.
2. Findings
Congress finds that—
Frank McWorter, an enslaved man, bought his freedom and the freedom of 15 family members by mining for crude niter in Kentucky caves and processing the mined material into saltpeter;
New Philadelphia, founded in 1836 by Frank McWorter, was the first town planned and legally registered by a free African-American before the Civil War;
the first railroad constructed in the area of New Philadelphia bypassed New Philadelphia, which led to the decline of New Philadelphia; and
the New Philadelphia site—
is a registered National Historic Landmark;
is covered by farmland; and
does not contain any original buildings of the town or the McWorter farm and home that are visible above ground.
3. Definitions
4. Special resource study
Study— The Secretary shall conduct a special resource study of the Study Area.
Contents— In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall—
evaluate the national significance of the Study Area;
determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Study Area as a unit of the National Park System;
consider other alternatives for preservation, protection, and interpretation of the Study Area by—
Federal, State, or local governmental entities; or
private and nonprofit organizations;
consult with—
interested Federal, State, or local governmental entities;
private and nonprofit organizations; or
any other interested individuals; and
identify cost estimates for any Federal acquisition, development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance associated with the alternatives considered under paragraph (3).
Applicable law— The study required under subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with section 8 of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5).
Report— Not later than 3 years after the date on which funds are first made available for the study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report containing—
the results of the study; and
any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.
Funding— The study authorized under this section shall be carried out using existing funds of the National Park Service.