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Federal Land Exchange Facilitation Act of 1988

Public Law 100-409 · H.R. 1860 · 100th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 20, 1988 · Public Lands and Natural Resources

Sponsor: Rep. Bruce Vento (D-MN-4)

Cosponsors (23): Rep. Morris Udall,

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateVoice vote
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

(House agreed to Senate amendments with amendments)

Federal Land Exchange Facilitation Act of 1988 - Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to require the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to promulgate regulations relating to the exchange of land or land interests, including the timing of appraisals and the submission of appraisals in disagreement to binding arbitration. Requires regulations governing appraisals to reflect nationally recognized appraisal standards and the differences between acquisition appraisals and transfer appraisals.

Permits each Secretary to exchange land or interests of approximately equal value under certain circumstances if to do so would be in the public interest and would expedite the exchange.

Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1998 for land exchange activities.

States that the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act shall remain unaffected by this Act.

Amends the National Forest Management Act of 1976 to increase the value of land purchases or exchanges requiring congressional notification. Requires oversight reports to include relative value adjustments.

Expands the exchange authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to include National Forest System lands. (Current law limits such authority to national forest lands.)

Directs the Secretary of the Interior to assess costs and benefits associated with improvements in existing methods for acquiring, disseminating, and using information about Federal and other lands. Requires the Secretary to report to the Congress within one year on the results of such assessment, including recommendations on a multipurpose cadastre.

Authorizes the Secretary concerned and other parties involved in a land exchange to mutually agree to waive the requirement for the payment of money to equalize values where the Secretary determines that the exchange will be expedited and the public interest will be better served by such a waiver. Restricts the amount which may be so waived. Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from agreeing to waive any such requirement for payment of money to the United States.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to revoke, modify, or terminate part of a land withdrawal or land classification as may be necessary to deliver clear title to land involved in an exchange when the sole impediment to such exchange is an order under a specified civil action. Outlines the requirements necessary for the Secretary to exercise such authority, including a specified congressional notice-and-wait requirement. Provides that such authority expires on December 31, 1990, or when the specified court order is no longer effective, whichever occurs first.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 27 actions.

  1. Aug 20, 1988Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 100-409.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Aug 10, 1988PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Aug 3, 1988Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment to Senate amendment by Voice Vote.
  5. Jul 27, 1988Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Concurred, in Senate Amendments , with Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Jun 13, 1988FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
  7. May 27, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  8. May 11, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  9. Mar 14, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by National Parks Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  10. Dec 16, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to National Parks Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  11. Dec 15, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  12. Dec 14, 1987FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Agriculture Committee
  14. Dec 9, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Agriculture Committee
  15. Oct 28, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Forests, Family Farms, and Energy Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Forests, Family Farms, and Energy Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Forests, Family Farms, and Energy Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
  18. Jun 18, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
  19. Jun 3, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
  20. May 19, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Reported by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  21. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  22. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  23. Apr 10, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  24. Apr 2, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Forests, Family Farms, and Energy Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
  25. Mar 30, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
  26. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
  27. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.