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Redesignates the existing Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park as Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire lands shown on an official map to form that park and an adjacent Ocmulgee Mounds National Preserve. The bill requires the National Park Service to manage both units together, complete a general management plan within three years that emphasizes protection and interpretation of cultural and sacred sites, establishes a seven-member advisory council with Tribal representation, transfers about 126 acres of Tribe-owned land into Federal trust for the Tribe, and allows appropriations of "such sums as are necessary."
The bill advances tribal sovereignty and cultural and natural-resource protection (and the economic benefits of National Park status) while increasing federal control, administrative complexity, potential costs to taxpayers and local governments, and jurisdictional or operational frictions for nearby communities.
Local communities and visitors gain a redesignated National Park and Preserve that protects cultural and natural resources and is likely to boost tourism and local economic activity.
The Tribe gains sovereign control and federal trust status over ~126 acres, giving the Tribe greater ability to govern, law-enforce, and access federal programs tied to trust land.
Tribal communities receive formal representation on a seven-member advisory council and an Indian hiring preference for Park and Preserve jobs, increasing Tribal influence over management and local job opportunities.
Increased federal designation and acquisitions can limit private land uses and local development near the Park and Preserve and shift local economies (e.g., development constraints, increased tourism pressure).
The open-ended authorization ('such sums as are necessary') risks higher federal spending and greater taxpayer cost because funding levels are unspecified and not offset.
Placing acreage into federal trust will likely reduce local property tax revenue, potentially straining local government budgets and services.
Introduced March 25, 2025 by Thomas Jonathan Ossoff · Last progress March 25, 2025