The Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act was approved by the U.S. Senate as part of a larger bill, but whether it will pass the House of Representatives in the fall is open to debate.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced Wednesday that the Senate passed the act in a bill that included other heritage and related legislation.

Kevin Bishop, Graham's spokesman, said the bill includes the Southern Campaign of the Revolution Heritage Area Study Act. That bill directs the secretary of the interior to study and report on designating historic South Carolina counties, cities and public sites as the Southern Campaign of the Revolution Heritage Area, he said.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said he has sponsored a separate bill for the Gullah/Geechee Act in the House in hopes of preserving the culture and to prompt frank discussions about race and slavery in America. He worries that the Senate bill will draw opposition from the House.

"Now, this puts the Gullah/Geechee bill in jeopardy because I have no idea what else is in this bill," Clyburn said. "There might be something in there that will be great for everybody, but there's no way of knowing."

Graham said South Carolina has more than 200 Revolutionary War battlegrounds, the most of any state, and is celebrating the 225th anniversary of most of those sites.

"It's important we recognize the contributions of these South Carolinians and pass along their story to future generations," Graham said. The Southern Campaign is considered by many to be the turning point of the Revolution, yet no heritage corridor exists to commemorate it, he said.

The Senate bill must now be passed by the House and then signed into law by the president. Clyburn said he does not expect the larger bill to be taken up until September because Congress is going into recess at the end of the week.

Clyburn said the Gullah/Geechee Act would assist state and local governments and public and private entities in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida in interpreting the story of the Gullah/Geechee and preserving their folklore, arts, crafts and music.

Michael Allen, a U.S. Parks Service ranger, said he has supported efforts to pass the Gullah/Geechee Act since it started about five years ago.

"It began in the spring of 2000; people wanted some mechanism that could serve as a vehicle in the preservation, interpretation and sustainability of Gullah/Geechee heritage," he said.