S 3878

Introduced

A bill to establish the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians and Jefferson College as affiliated areas of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

S. 3878 To establish the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians and Jefferson College as affiliated areas of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Introduced Feb 12, 2026

Latest action (Jul 23, 2026) Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 489.

Referred to

Energy and Natural Resources Committee

Policy area

Native Americans

Issues

Education

Legislative subjects (7)

Congressional oversight Geography and mapping Higher education Historic sites and heritage areas Land transfers Mississippi Parks, recreation areas, trails

Summary

Establishes the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians in Natchez, Mississippi as an affiliated area of the National Park System
Establishes Historic Jefferson College in Natchez, Mississippi as an affiliated area of the National Park System once it meets National Park Service criteria for designation
Designates the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as the management entity responsible for administering the affiliated areas
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical assistance and enter into cooperative agreements with the management entity for marketing, marking, interpretation, and preservation
Requires the Secretary to enter into an agreement delineating roles and responsibilities for management of the affiliated areas consistent with National Park System policies
Prevents the Secretary from acquiring property or assuming financial responsibility for operating or maintaining the affiliated areas

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS] (R-MS)

1 cosponsor

Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (R-MS)

Actions (5)

Jul 23, 2026 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 489. · senate
Jul 23, 2026 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Lee without amendment. Without written report. · senate
Jun 10, 2026 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. · senate
Feb 12, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. · senate
Feb 12, 2026 Introduced in Senate

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Committee action

What happened to this bill in committee — the meetings where it was considered and every recorded vote taken on it.

Meetings where this bill was on the agenda

Business meeting to consider S.140, to address the forest health crisis on the National Forest System and public lands, S.332, to require a study on Holocaust education efforts of States, local educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools, S.365 and H.R.1729, bills to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.764, to provide for the designation of certain wilderness areas, recreation management areas, and conservation areas in the State of Colorado, S.789, to require reports on critical mineral and rare earth element resources around the world and a strategy for the development of advanced mining, refining, separation, and processing technologies, S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.888, to designate certain land administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in the State of Oregon as wilderness and national recreation areas, to withdraw certain land located in Curry County and Josephine County, Oregon, from all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws, location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and operation under the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, S.945, to amend the Smith River National Recreation Area Act to include certain additions to the Smith River National Recreation Area, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain wild rivers in the State of Oregon, S.1088 and H.R.2290, bills to provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, S.1288, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage Area System the Finger Lakes National Heritage Area in the State of New York, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1349, to withdraw the National Forest System land in the Ruby Mountains subdistrict of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the National Wildlife Refuge System land in Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada, from operation under the mineral leasing laws, S.1413, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1547, to amend title 54, United States Code, to reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, S.1737, to designate and expand wilderness areas in Olympic National Forest in the State of Washington, and to designate certain rivers in Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park as wild and scenic rivers, S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2437 and H.R.3857, bills to amend the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Authorization Act, S.2753, to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to authorize certain extraordinary operation and maintenance work for urban canals of concern, S.3500 and H.R.3657, bills to amend the Federal Power Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to annually submit to Congress a report on the status of ongoing hydropower relicensing applications, S.3518, to amend the Federal Power Act to address certain alterations in, and the maintenance and repair of, project works, to provide for the licensing of micro hydrokinetic energy projects, S.3526, to provide for the protection of and investment in certain Federal land in the State of California, S.3693, to extend the authorization for a large-scale water recycling and reuse grant program, S.3723, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water from the Missouri River to the Western Dakota Regional Water System, S.3732, to amend the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act to authorize assistance under the storage program, S.3736, to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water to the Dakota Mainstem Regional Water System service area in the States of South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota, S.3743, to direct the Secretary ofEnergy and Natural Resources CommitteeJun 10, 2026Business meeting

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 12, 2026

Mrs. Hyde-Smith (for herself and Mr. Wicker) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

July 23, 2026

Reported by Mr. Lee, without amendment

A BILL

To establish the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians and Jefferson College as affiliated areas of the National Park System, 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. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GRAND VILLAGE OF THE NATCHEZ INDIANS AND JEFFERSON COLLEGE AS AFFILIATED AREAS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.

(a) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) Affiliated area.—The term “affiliated area” means—

(A) the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians in Natchez, Mississippi, established as an affiliated area of the National Park System by subsection (b)(1); and

(B) Historic Jefferson College in Natchez, Mississippi, established as an affiliated area of the National Park System under subsection (b)(2).

(2) Management entity.—The term “management entity” means the management entity for the affiliated areas designated by subsection (d).

(3) Map.—The term “Map” means the map entitled “Affiliated Areas, Adams County, Mississippi Proposed Boundaries”, numbered 964/194,653, and dated August 2024.

(4) Secretary.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior.

(b) Establishment.—

(1) Grand village of the natchez indians.—To promote public appreciation of the significant historic contributions of the Natchez Indians, the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians in Natchez, Mississippi, as generally depicted on the Map, is established as an affiliated area of the National Park System.

(2) Historic jefferson college.—On the date on which the Secretary determines that Historic Jefferson College in Natchez, Mississippi, as generally depicted on the Map, meets National Park Service criteria for designation as an affiliated area, Historic Jefferson College, shall be established as an affiliated area of the National Park System.

(3) Map.—

(A) In general.—As soon as practicable after the establishment of an affiliated area in accordance with this section, the Secretary shall prepare a map depicting the boundaries of the applicable affiliated area.

(B) Availability.—The map prepared under subparagraph (A) shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service.

(1) this section; and

(2) the laws generally applicable to units of the National Park System.

(d) Management Entity.—The Mississippi Department of Archives and History shall be the management entity for the affiliated areas.

(e) Agreements.—The Secretary—

(1) may provide technical assistance to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, the management entity for the purpose of providing financial assistance for the marketing, marking, interpretation, and preservation of the affiliated areas; and

(2) shall enter into an agreement with the management entity that delineates the roles and responsibilities for the management of the affiliated areas consistent with the policies and standards that apply to units of the National Park System.

(f) Limited Role of the Secretary.—Nothing in this section authorizes the Secretary—

(1) to acquire property at the affiliated areas; or

(2) to assume financial responsibility for the operation, maintenance, or management of the affiliated areas. Calendar No. 489

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 3878

A BILL

To establish the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians and Jefferson College as affiliated areas of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

July 23, 2026

Reported without amendment

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