HYDE-SMITH BILL TO ELEVATE NATCHEZ HISTORIC SITES ADVANCES IN SENATE
Energy Committee Approves Bill to Designate Grand Village of the Natchez Indians and Jefferson College as National Park Service Affiliated Areas
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today applauded committee passage of her legislation to designate the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians in Adams County and Historic Jefferson College in Natchez as affiliated areas of the National Park Service (NPS).
Hyde-Smith’s Grand Village of the Natchez Indians and Jefferson College Affiliated Areas Establishment Act (S.3878) was among several measures advanced by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee at a business meeting Wednesday. The bill, which passed on a voice vote, is now available for consideration by the full Senate.
“This is an important step forward for Natchez, Adams County, and Mississippi,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the ENR Committee. “The Grand Village of the Natchez Indians and Historic Jefferson College are irreplaceable landmarks within our state’s story. Connecting these sites to the National Park Service will bring more resources and visibility to their preservation for generations to come.”
S.3878 would make the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians eligible for preservation, protection, and interpretation resources as an affiliate area of the Natchez National Historical Park. The bill also directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish Jefferson College as an affiliated area once the Secretary determines it meets the necessary criteria.
The bill, which is cosponsored by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), also directs the National Park Service to establish boundaries and develop management plans for both affiliated areas within three years. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, working in partnership with the NPS, would oversee management of the sites. The bill does not authorize the NPS to acquire property within the affiliated areas or assume responsibility for their operation, maintenance, or day-to-day management.
Hyde-Smith first introduced this legislation in November 2023 and secured committee approval late in the 118th Congress, which ended before the bill could pass through the full Senate and House of Representatives. She reintroduced the bill at the start of the 119th Congress and will now work toward Senate passage.
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