Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Designation Act
Public Law 109-418 · H.R. 5466 · 109th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 19, 2006 · Commemorations
Sponsor: Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-VA-1)
Cosponsors (24): Rep. Randy Forbes, Rep. Wayne Gilchrest,
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.
Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Designation Act - Amends the National Trails System Act to designate the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (a series of water routes extending approximately 3,000 miles along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and in the District of Columbia that traces the 1607 and 1608 voyages of Captain John Smith to chart the land and waterways of the Chesapeake Bay).
Requires the Trail to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior in coordination with: (1) the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network authorized under the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998; and (2) the Chesapeake Bay Program authorized under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
Prohibits the United States from acquiring for the Trail any land or interest in land outside the exterior boundary of any federally-managed area without the consent of the owner of such land or interest.
Amends federal law to decrease the maximum limit on the amount that may be made available with respect to all expenses incident to the examination and establishment of the Park and for the acquisition of lands and/or lands and improvements needed for the completion of the Park, including the securing of options and other incidental expenses.
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.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 2568Companion billIdentical bill
Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Designation 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. 17 actions.
- Dec 19, 2006Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-418.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 11, 2006FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 7, 2006FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Dec 6, 2006CalendarCalendar · Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 671.
- Dec 5, 2006FloorFloor · 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. 5466.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Radanovich moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 28, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Federal Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Jun 1, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks.
- CommitteeCommittee · Executive Comment Requested from Interior.
- May 24, 2006CommitteeCommittee · 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.