H.R. 6798

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6798 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6798

To amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and 
Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage 
Area System the Calumet National Heritage Area in the States of Indiana 
and Illinois, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 17, 2025

Ms. Kelly of Illinois (for herself, Mr. Yakym, Mr. Mrvan, Mr. Davis of 
Illinois, Mr. Casten, and Mr. Jackson of Illinois) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and 
Recreation Act to designate as a component of the National Heritage 
Area System the Calumet National Heritage Area in the States of Indiana 
and 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 ``Calumet National Heritage Area 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that--
(1) the Calumet region is composed of--
(A) 3 counties in the State of Indiana; and
(B) portions of 2 counties in the State of 
Illinois;
(2) taken as a whole, the Calumet region--
(A) possesses exceptional cultural, natural, and 
historical resources that form a cohesive and 
nationally distinctive landscape;
(B) showcases landscapes that arose from the 
unprecedented encounter of United States industrial 
urbanization with a richly biodiverse natural region at 
the southern end of Lake Michigan; and
(C) offers compelling educational opportunities 
relating to--
(i) the manner in which industrial progress 
forged dramatic changes to the natural world;
(ii) the importance of environmental 
conservation and restoration, innovation, and 
change for industries and workers; and
(iii) the range of cultural practices 
brought to the Calumet region by the large 
numbers of immigrants and migrants who settled 
in the Calumet region;
(3) there is a national interest in conserving, restoring, 
promoting, and interpreting the benefits of the Calumet 
National Heritage Area for--
(A) the residents of the Calumet region; and
(B) visitors to the Calumet National Heritage Area;
(4) the nationally significant historical and cultural 
resources located in the Calumet National Heritage Area 
represent unique aspects of the heritage of the United States;
(5) the Calumet region--
(A) was previously designated as a natural 
botanical preserve; and
(B) was the site of early advances in the science 
of ecology;
(6) with respect to the economic development of the United 
States--
(A) the post-Civil War industrial boom in the 
Calumet region made the Calumet region the largest 
industrial district in the world during the first half 
of the 20th century;
(B) the Calumet region remains the leading steel 
producing region in the United States;
(C) the economic development took place at the 
water, rail, and highway transportation crossroads of 
the United States; and
(D) industrialists pioneered new methods of housing 
employees in industrial towns at Pullman, Marktown, and 
Gary;
(7) employees that were drawn to the Calumet region made 
the Calumet region a crucible of working class and ethnic 
cultures;
(8) new approaches to natural resource management in an 
industrial region were developed in the Calumet region;
(9) significant historical and cultural sites in the 
Calumet region include--
(A) the ongoing presence of the steel industry in 
the United States, including the most recently 
constructed integrated steelworks and the largest 
operating integrated steelworks;
(B) Pullman National Historical Park;
(C) Indiana Dunes National Park;
(D) a National Historic Landmark;
(E) 4 Historic American Engineering Record sites;
(F) 5 Historic American Buildings Survey sites;
(G) 2 National Scenic Byways;
(H) 2 units of the National Water Trails System; 
and
(I) 2 National Underground Railroad Network to 
Freedom sites;
(10) nationally significant natural and physical resources 
in the Calumet region include spectacular natural, scenic, and 
recreational assets, including--
(A) Indiana Dunes National Park, 1 of the most 
species-rich units of the National Park System, 
including the critical conservation land that buffers 
the unit;
(B) outstanding examples of glaciated landscapes 
that illustrate ecological succession;
(C) 5 national natural landmarks;
(D) 48,000 acres of land protected outside the 
boundary of the Indiana Dunes National Park, a 
significant record of urban conservation by land 
trusts, local park districts, and forest preserve 
districts; and
(E) an active legacy of ecological restoration, 
including on the Grand Calumet Area of Concern and at 
hundreds of sites benefitting from volunteer 
contributions;
(11) local public and private partnerships based on the 
visions of the community and region that are working together 
to promote the stewardship, enhancement, and interpretation of 
the resources of the Calumet National Heritage Area;
(12) to promote the goals described in paragraph (11), 
local residents, organizations, and governments support the 
establishment of a national heritage area, as indicated in the 
Calumet National Heritage Area Feasibility Study approved by 
the National Park Service; and
(13) the designation of the Calumet National Heritage Area 
would enhance the efforts to promote the cultural, natural, 
historical, and recreational resources of the Calumet region 
that have been made by--
(A) the States of Indiana and Illinois;
(B) political subdivisions of the States of Indiana 
and Illinois;
(C) the Field Museum of Natural History;
(D) Indiana Dunes Tourism;
(E) the South Shore Convention and Visitors 
Authority;
(F) volunteer organizations; and
(G) private businesses.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF CALUMET NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.

(a) Designation.--Section 6001(a) of the John D. Dingell, Jr. 
Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Public Law 116-9; 133 
Stat. 768; 136 Stat. 6163) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
``(14) Calumet national heritage area.--
``(A) In general.--There is established as a 
component of the National Heritage Area System the 
Calumet National Heritage Area in the States of Indiana 
and Illinois, as depicted on the map on page 25 of the 
Calumet National Heritage Area Feasibility Study, dated 
April 14, 2018, as subsequently modified, the 
boundaries of which start at 71st Street and Lake 
Michigan in Chicago and proceed west along 71st Street 
to Western Avenue, then south on Western Avenue to 95th 
Street, then west on 95th Street to Pulaski Road, then 
south on Pulaski Road to I-57, then south on I-57 to 
Crete-Monee Road, then east on Crete-Monee Road, 
continuing on West New Monee Road to end at State 
Street, and then extend to the Indiana State Line, with 
Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties included.
``(B) Local coordinating entity.--The Calumet 
Heritage Partnership shall be the local coordinating 
entity for the National Heritage Area designated by 
subparagraph (A).''.
(b) Management Plan.--For the purposes of section 6001(c) of the 
John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act 
(Public Law 116-9; 133 Stat. 772; 136 Stat. 6173), the local 
coordinating entity for the Calumet National Heritage Area designated 
under the amendment made by subsection (a) shall submit to the 
Secretary of the Interior for approval a proposed management plan for 
the Calumet National Heritage Area not later than 3 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act.
(c) Termination of Authority.--For the purposes of subsection 
(g)(4) of section 6001 of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, 
Management, and Recreation Act (Public Law 116-9; 133 Stat. 776), the 
authority of the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance under 
that section for the Calumet National Heritage Area designated under 
the amendment made by subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that 
is 15 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
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