Fort Donelson National Battlefield Expansion Act of 2004
Public Law 108-367 · S. 524 · 108th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Oct 25, 2004 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- 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.
Fort Donelson National Battlefield Expansion Act of 2004 - Declares that the Fort Donelson National Battlefield exists as a unit of the National Park System (the System) to commemorate the Battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862 and the campaign conducted by General Ulysses S. Grant and Admiral Andrew H. Foote that resulted in the capture of the Fort by Union forces.
Revises the boundary of the Battlefield to include: (1) the site of Fort Donelson and associated land that has been acquired by the Secretary of the Interior for administration by the National Park Service, including Fort Donelson Cemetery, in Stewart County, Tennessee, and the site of Fort Heiman and associated land in Calloway County, Kentucky; and (2) any land acquired pursuant to this Act.
Authorizes the Secretary to acquire only by purchase from willing sellers, by donation, or by exchange with willing owners for inclusion in the Fort Donelson National Battlefield land, interests, and improvements: (1) within the boundaries of the Battlefield; and (2) outside such boundaries if the land has been identified by the American Battlefield Protection Program as part of the battlefield associated with Fort Donelson or if the Secretary otherwise determines that acquisition will protect critical resources associated with the Battle of Fort Donelson and the Union campaign. Limits the total area encompassed by the Battlefield to 2,000 acres.
Requires the Secretary to administer the Battlefield in accordance with this Act and the laws generally applicable to units of the System, including the National Park Service Organic Act, and the Historic Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act.
Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into a memorandum of understanding to facilitate cooperatively protecting and interpreting the remaining vestige of Fort Henry and other remaining Civil War resources affiliated with the Fort Donelson campaign and located in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Natural Resources Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Federal Lands Subcommittee
Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: National Parks 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.
H.R. 646Related bill
Fort Donelson National Battlefield Act of 2004
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.
- Oct 25, 2004Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-367.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 13, 2004FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Oct 8, 2004FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Cannon asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Resources discharged.
- Jun 1, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands.
- May 20, 2004FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
- May 19, 2004FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Mar 9, 2004CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 440.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Domenici with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 108-230.
- Feb 11, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
- Oct 2, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 108-225.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by National Parks Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Mar 5, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
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.