SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Kissimmee River Wild 
and Scenic River Study Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Kissimmee River has undergone, over 
the course of two decades, the largest river restora-
tion effort in the world. 
(2) Extending approximately 105 miles from 
Orlando to Lake Okeechobee, the Kissimmee River 
forms the headwaters of Lake Okeechobee and the 
Everglades and serves as a vital component of eco-
system restoration in South Florida as a whole. 
(3) The Kissimmee River Restoration Project 
has significantly improved approximately 63,000 
acres of wetlands within the Kissimmee River water-
shed and reestablished an environment suitable for 
fish, wildlife, and the wetland plants that existed 
prior to the Kissimmee River’s channelization in the 
1960s. 
(4) The Kissimmee River Restoration Project is 
expected to be completed in 2020, at which point it 
is expected to reestablish historic hydrologic condi-
tions, 
recreate 
historic 
river 
and 
floodplain 
connectivity, recreate the historic mosaic of wetland
plant communities, and restore historic biological di-
versity and functionality. 
(5) After decades of restoration efforts and the 
expenditure of nearly a billion dollars, upon comple-
tion of the Kissimmee River Restoration Project, a 
study should be conducted to determine the eligi-
bility of including the fully restored Kissimmee River 
into the National Wild and Scenic River program to 
preserve the fully restored free-flowing condition and 
immediate environment of the river for the benefit 
and enjoyment of present and future generations. 
(6) Inclusion of the Kissimmee River into the 
National Wild and Scenic River program would be a 
fitting tribute to the hard work of the Army Corps 
of Engineers and the South Florida Water Manage-
ment District’s restoration work. 
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION FOR STUDY. 
(a) DESIGNATION FOR POTENTIAL ADDITION.—Sec-
tion 5(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
1276(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ll) KISSIMMEE
RIVER, 
FLORIDA.—The 
segment from the southern shore of Lake Kissimmee 
to its confluence with Lake Okeechobee.’’.
(b) STUDY.—Section 5(b) of the Wild and Scenic Riv-
ers Act (16 U.S.C. 1276(b)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(ll) KISSIMMEE RIVER, FLORIDA.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years 
after the date on which funds are made avail-
able to carry out this paragraph, the Secretary 
of the Interior shall complete a study of the 
Kissimmee River, as described in subsection 
(a)(ll), and submit a report describing the 
results of such study to the Committee on Nat-
ural Resources of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
sources of the Senate. 
‘‘(B) REPORT
REQUIREMENTS.—The re-
port required under subparagraph (A) shall— 
‘‘(i) include a discussion of the effect 
of the designation of the segment to be 
studied under subsection (a)(ll) on— 
‘‘(I) existing commercial and rec-
reational activities, such as cattle 
ranching, dairy production, hunting, 
fishing, trapping, recreational shoot-
ing, motor boat use, or bridge con-
struction;
‘‘(II) the authorization, construc-
tion, operation, maintenance, or im-
provement of energy production and 
transmission infrastructure; 
‘‘(III) military operations; and 
‘‘(IV) the authority of State and 
local governments to manage the ac-
tivities described in subclauses (I) and 
(II); and 
‘‘(ii) identify— 
‘‘(I) all authorities that will au-
thorize or require the Secretary of the 
Interior to influence local land use de-
cisions (such as zoning) or place re-
strictions on non-Federal land if the 
area 
studied 
under 
subsection 
(a)(ll) is designated under the 
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act; 
‘‘(II) all authorities that the Sec-
retary of the Interior may use to con-
demn property if the area studied 
under subsection (a)(ll) is des-
ignated under the Wild and Scenic 
Rivers Act; and
‘‘(III) all private property located 
in the area to be studied under sub-
section (a)(ll). 
‘‘(C) 
NONINTERFERENCE.—This 
study 
shall not interfere with the Kissimmee River 
Restoration Project authorized under section 
101(8) of the Water Resources Development 
Act of 1992 (Public Law 102–580).’’. 
(c) NO NEGATIVE IMPACT.—Nothing authorized by 
this Act may negatively impact agricultural production in 
the Kissimmee River basin. 
(d) NO EFFECT ON MANAGEMENT.—This Act and 
the amendments made by this Act shall not interfere with 
the current management of the area of the Kissimmee 
River described in section 5(a)(ll) of the Wild and Sce-
nic Rivers Act, nor shall the fact that such area is listed 
for study under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
1271 et seq.) be used as justification for more restrictive 
management, such as wilderness or as a category of wild