To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands and improvements in the State of Virginia, and for other purposes.
Public Law 105-171 · H.R. 3226 · 105th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Apr 24, 1998 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA-6)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain lands in Virginia for other lands or, if amounts are received through sale, to deposit receipts in a specified fund to be used for acquisition of lands in Virginia and acquisition or construction of administrative improvements in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Agriculture Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Forestry, Resource Conservation and Research Subcommittee
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 10 actions.
- Apr 24, 1998Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-171.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Apr 17, 1998PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Apr 3, 1998FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Mar 24, 1998FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Goodlatte moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Feb 24, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Forestry, Resource Conservation and Research Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- Feb 12, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- 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.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.