Tom Cotton (R-AR)
Arkansas Delta National Heritage Area Act
A Republican bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is known as the Arkansas Delta National Heritage Area Act. It amends a previous conservation law to officially designate the Arkansas Delta National Heritage Area in the State of Arkansas. The designated area covers seventeen specific counties in Arkansas. Arkansas State University Heritage Sites is named as the local coordinating entity for this heritage area. The local group must submit a proposed management plan to the Secretary of the Interior within 3 years. Finally, the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance for this area ends 15 years after the bill is enacted.
Yes· 3 of 10
- Scored +4
Does this invest in rural communities?
The act specifically invests in and promotes seventeen rural counties in the Arkansas Delta region.
- Scored +4
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?
Residents of the seventeen designated rural counties in the Arkansas Delta will benefit from boosted tourism, cultural investment, and regional development.
- Scored +3
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?
National Heritage Area designation encourages the preservation of natural, historical, and environmental resources in the region.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Local Heritage Designation: Section 2 establishes the Arkansas Delta National Heritage Area as a component of the National Heritage Area System, covering Clay, Greene, Craighead, Poinsett, Mississippi, Cross, Crittenden, St. Francis, Lee, Phillips, Monroe, Arkansas, Lincoln, Jefferson, Desha, Drew, and Chicot Counties in Arkansas. This is positive because it officially recognizes the region.
-
Local Leadership: Section 2 designates Arkansas State University Heritage Sites as the local coordinating entity for the newly established National Heritage Area. This gives a specific local group the responsibility to coordinate the area.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Expiration of Assistance: Section 2 states that the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance for the Arkansas Delta National Heritage Area terminates on the date that is 15 years after the date of enactment of the Act. This could be viewed as a negative since federal assistance has a strict expiration date.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — The act specifically invests in and promotes seventeen rural counties in the Arkansas Delta region. Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — National Heritage Area designation encourages the preservation of natural, historical, and environmental resources in the region. Does this better protect public land such as parks and forests? — The designation aids in the coordinated management and preservation of cultural and natural assets across the heritage area.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make it easier to run a small business? — Local small businesses in the tourism, hospitality, and service sectors will benefit from increased heritage tourism. Is this likely to grow the economy? — The heritage area designation promotes tourism and economic development across seventeen specific counties in Arkansas. Is this likely to create jobs? — Designating the Arkansas Delta National Heritage Area will likely boost local tourism and cultural activities, creating related jobs.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Residents of the seventeen designated rural counties in the Arkansas Delta will benefit from boosted tourism, cultural investment, and regional development.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The requirement for a proposed management plan submitted to the Secretary of the Interior ensures structured public oversight. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — The act establishes a state-level heritage designation managed locally by Arkansas State University Heritage Sites.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into public schools? — Involvement of Arkansas State University Heritage Sites as the coordinating entity can enhance educational and cultural programming.
- 9/17/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Introduced in Senate