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Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail Designation Act

Public Law 117-345 · S. 3519 · 117th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Jan 5, 2023 · Commemorations

Sponsor: Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)

Cosponsors (5): Sen. Roy Blunt,

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.

Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail Designation Act

This act designates the trail extending approximately 3,292 miles and following the route operated by the Butterfield Overland Mail Company, known as the Ox-Bow Route, to transport mail and passengers between the eastern end points of St. Louis, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee, and extending westward through the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, to the western end point of San Francisco, California, as the Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail.

The United States shall not acquire for the trail any land or interest in land outside of the exterior boundary of any federally administered area without the consent of the owner of such land or interest in land.

The Department of the Interior may not use eminent domain or condemnation in carrying out this act.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

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Related bills

The record lists no related bills.

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. 18 actions.

  1. Jan 5, 2023Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-345.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 28, 2022FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 22, 2022FloorFloor · 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. 3519.
  7. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  8. FloorFloor · Mr. Tonko moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  9. Dec 21, 2022FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  10. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  11. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  12. Dec 20, 2022FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  13. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  15. May 11, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by National Parks Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  17. Jan 19, 2022CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  18. 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

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 6586SenateSen. John BoozmanR-AR· offered Dec 20, 2022Agreed to

    In the nature of a substitute.

    Dec 20, 2022: Amendment SA 6586 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
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.