Galisteo Basin Archaeological Sites Protection Act
Public Law 108-208 · H.R. 506 · 108th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Mar 19, 2004 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM-3)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Heather Wilson
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.
Galisteo Basin Archaeological Sites Protection Act - (Sec. 3) Designates specified archaeological sites in New Mexico as the Galisteo Basin Archaeological Protection Sites. Instructs the Secretary, upon written request of an owner of private property included within the boundary of such a site protected under this Act, to immediately remove that property from within that boundary.
(Sec. 4) Requires the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) continue to search for additional Native American and Spanish colonial sites in the Basin area; and (2) submit to the Congress recommendations for additions to, deletions from, and modifications of the boundaries of such sites.
(Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to administer archaeological protection sites located on Federal land in accordance with this Act and other applicable laws in a manner that will protect, preserve, and maintain the archaeological resources and provide for research thereon. Requires the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees a general management plan for the identification, research, protection, and public interpretation of the archaeological protection sites located on Federal lands, and those sites located on private and State lands for which the Secretary has entered into discretionary Cooperative Agreements with their owners for the protection, preservation, maintenance, and administration of their archaeological resources and associated lands.
Directs the Secretary to consult with various parties in developing the plan, including: (1) the Governor of New Mexico; and (2) affected Native American pueblos.
(Sec. 7) Authorizes the Secretary to acquire lands and interests within the boundaries of the archaeological protection sites, and access to them, by donation, by purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or by exchange. Limits to donation or exchange the Secretary's acquisition authority for lands or interests owned by the State of New Mexico or a local government, except that State trust land may be acquired only by exchange.
(Sec. 8) Withdraws all Federal lands within the sites, subject to valid existing rights, from: (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under all laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing.
(Sec. 9) States that this Act shall not: (1) authorize regulation of privately owned lands within an archaeological protection site; or (2) restrict or limit an Indian tribe from protecting cultural or religious sites on tribal land.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Natural Resources Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Federal Lands 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.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 210Identical billRelated bill
Galisteo Basin Archaeological Sites Protection Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 20 actions.
- Mar 19, 2004Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-208.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Mar 11, 2004FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Mar 5, 2004FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Mar 4, 2004FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 5, 2003CalendarCalendar · Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 368.
- Nov 4, 2003FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 506.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Renzi moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 203.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Resources. H. Rept. 108-346.
- Oct 29, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands Discharged.
- Feb 12, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Executive Comment Requested from Interior.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands.
- Jan 29, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.