An Act to authorize the study of certain areas by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior.
Public Law 94-518 · S. 400 · 94th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Oct 17, 1976 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
Cosponsors (11): Sen. Edward Brooke, Sen. Jacob Javits,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
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.
=Title I: Frederick Law Olmsted Home and Office, Brookline, Massachusetts= - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to prepare and transmit to specified Congressional committees a study of the feasibility and suitability of designating the Federick Law Olmsted Home and Office, Brookline, Massachusetts, as a unit of the National Park System.
=Title II: Saint Paul's Church, Eastchester, New York= - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to prepare and transmit to specified Congressional committees a study of the feasibility and suitability of designating the Saint Paul's Church, Eastchester, New York, as a unit of the National Park System.
=Title III: National Museum of Afro-American History and Culture at or near Wilberforce, Ohio= - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to prepare and transmit to specified Congressional committees a study of the feasibility and suitability of establishing a National Museum of Afro-American History and Culture in the vicinity of Wilberforce, Ohio.
=Title IV: Kalaupapa Settlement on the Island of Molokai, Hawaii= - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility and desirability designating as a unit of the National Park System all or part of Kalawao County on the island of Molokai, Hawaii, in which is located the Kalawpapa leper settlement. Requires the Secretary to submit a report of such study, including a detailed proposed master development plan, to the President and Congress within two years of the enactment of this title.
Establishes the Kalaupapa National Historical Park Advisory Commission.
Prohibits agencies and departments of the United States from taking any action which would impact on the proposed park area pending submission of the Secretary's report.
=Title V: Shawnee Hills, Illinois= - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to designate all or part of the Shawnee Hills in specified counties in Illinois as a national recreation area.
=Title VI: George W. Norris Home, McCook, Nebraska= - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to report to Congress on the feasibility and suitability of including the George W. Norris home as a unit of the National Park System.
=Title VII: Mount Mitchell, North Carolina= - Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on the feasibility and suitability of creating a Mount Mitchell National Park.
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.
- Oct 17, 1976Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-518.
- Oct 7, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Oct 1, 1976Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments with amendment.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendments.
- Sep 22, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H.R. 15558.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- Aug 26, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Aug 25, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Aug 20, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Jan 27, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.