HALE Scouts Act
Public Law 112-103 · H.R. 473 · 112th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Apr 2, 2012 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK-2)
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.
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on September 23, 2011. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Help to Access Land for the Education of Scouts or HALE Scouts Act - Requires the conveyance of specified National Forest System land in the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma to the Indian Nations Council, Inc., of the Boy Scouts of America. Excludes from such conveyance any land within the Indian Nations National Scenic and Wildlife Area designated under the Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation and Wilderness Area Act.
Requires the Council to pay to the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) the fair market value of the land, as determined by an appraisal approved by the Secretary and done to conform with the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions and the provisions relating to exchanges of public lands and interests within the National Forest System under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. States that access to the conveyed land shall be from the adjacent land of the Council or its successor. Bars the Secretary from being required to provide additional access to such land. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe such terms and conditions on the conveyance as the Secretary considers in the public interest, including the reservation of access rights to the conveyed land for administrative purposes.
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. 610Identical bill
Help to Access Land for the Education of Scouts
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. 22 actions.
- Apr 2, 2012Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 112-103.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Mar 22, 2012FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Mar 15, 2012FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 4, 2011CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Oct 3, 2011FloorFloor · 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. 473.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Bishop (UT) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 23, 2011CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 142.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 112-218.
- Jul 20, 2011CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Discharged.
- Jun 14, 2011CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Federal Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Feb 4, 2011CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
- Jan 26, 2011CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Natural 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.