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New England Wilderness Act of 2006

Public Law 109-382 · S. 4001 · 109th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 1, 2006 · Public Lands and Natural Resources

Sponsor: Sen. John Sununu (R-NH)

Cosponsors (3): Sen. Patrick Leahy,

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.

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Summary

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

New England Wilderness Act of 2006 - Title I: New Hampshire - Designates specified federal lands managed by the United States Forest Service in the White Mountain National Forest area of New Hampshire as wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (lands to be known as the Wild River Wilderness and lands to be incorporated in the Sandwich Range Wilderness).

Title II: Vermont - Subtitle A: Designation of Wilderness Areas - Designates specified federal lands managed by the Forest Service in Vermont as wilderness areas and National Wilderness Preservation System components (lands to be known as the Glastenbury Wilderness, the Joseph Battell Wilderness, the Breadloaf Wilderness, the Lye Brook Wilderness, the Peru Peak Wilderness, and the Big Branch Wilderness). Requires the Forest Service to allow the continuance of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the Long Trail, the Catamount Trail, and the marking and maintenance of associated trails and trail structures consistent with the management direction established under the Green Mountain National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.

Subtitle B: Moosalamoo National Recreation Area - Designates specified federal lands managed by the Forest Service in Vermont as the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to administer the Area in accordance with laws applicable to National Forest System units and the management direction established for the Moosalamoo Recreation and Education Management Area under such Management Plan.

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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Related bills

5 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 5059Related bill

    New Hampshire Wilderness Act of 2006

  • H.R. 5062Related bill

    New Hampshire Wilderness Act of 2006

  • H.R. 5157Related bill

    Vermont Wilderness Act of 2006

  • S. 2463Related bill

    New England Wilderness Act of 2006

  • S. 2565Related bill

    Vermont Wilderness Act of 2006

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 16 actions.

  1. Dec 1, 2006Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-382.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Nov 21, 2006FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Nov 15, 2006FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
  6. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 4001.
  7. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  8. FloorFloor · Mrs. Drake moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  9. Oct 16, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
  10. Oct 4, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health.
  11. CommitteeCommittee · Executive Comment Requested from USDA.
  12. Sep 29, 2006FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  13. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  14. FloorFloor · Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  16. 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.

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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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.