A bill relating to certain leases involving the Secretary of the Interior and the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.
Public Law 96-401 · S. 2126 · 96th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 9, 1980 · Energy
Sponsor: Sen. John Melcher (D-MT)
Cosponsors: None
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.
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to negotiate with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Indians and any party holding a coal lease, permit, or right to a lease issued under the Act of May 11, 1938, for purposes of entering into cancellation agreements with respect to such leases.
Provides that upon written agreement to cancel such leases such party shall be issued: (1) a noncompetitive lease or leases for federal coal deposits that cannot be mined efficiently or economically unless incorporated into an existing mining unit controlled by the party; or (2) a certificate of bidding rights to acquire coal leases at competitive sales.
States that such leases shall be issued at fair market value and certificates shall have the value of the party's investment plus specified compounded interest.
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. 12 actions.
- Oct 9, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-401.
- Oct 1, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Sep 29, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed House.
- Sep 23, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- Aug 20, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Aug 18, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Aug 1, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Dec 12, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Indian Affairs 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.