Interior Department to study New Hampshire Shaker village heritage designation
S. 2801 — Canterbury Shaker Village National Heritage Area Study Authorization Act · Filed by Maggie Hassan (D-NH) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Sep 15, 2025 · Reported out
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What it does
This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to study whether the Canterbury Shaker Village National Historic Landmark in New Hampshire should be designated as a National Heritage Area. The study will assess suitability and feasibility in consultation with state, local, and historical organizations. No designation occurs unless Congress acts separately; this bill only authorizes and funds the study itself.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a straightforward authorization for a feasibility study on designating a historic site as a National Heritage Area. It is procedural, informational, and creates no substantive policy change on its own.
What the text implies
- A favorable study outcome could lead to future congressional action to formally designate the area, which might trigger federal funding, management coordination, and tourism development in the region.
- National Heritage Area designation typically involves a management plan and potential federal grants, which could affect local land-use decisions and property development patterns in Merrimack County.
- The study may influence state and local tourism marketing and economic development strategies even before formal designation occurs.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill creates a low-cost informational process that may lead to heritage preservation and cultural tourism benefits for the region. No restrictions on citizens, no private giveaways, and the study itself is a public good that informs future policy decisions.
Named in the bill
Secretary of the Interior, State of New Hampshire, Canterbury Shaker Village National Historic Landmark, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, National Heritage Area
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Sep 15, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Sep 15, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources”
- Jul 21, 2026 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held”
- Jul 29, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,031 characters) on Aug 20, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Interior Department to study New Hampshire Shaker village heritage designation” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/s2801 Report an error
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