Florida Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1982
Public Law 97-399 · H.R. 7155 · 97th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Dec 31, 1982 · Native Americans
Sponsor: Rep. Dante Fascell (D-FL-15)
Cosponsors (2): Rep. William Lehman, Rep. Claude Pepper
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
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.
Florida Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1982 - Provides for the approval of prior transfers of lands and the extinguishment of claims and aboriginal title to lands involving the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. Makes such approval contingent upon the publication by the Secretary of the Interior of findings that the State of Florida has: (1) paid settlement funds to the tribe; (2) executed a lease agreement with the tribe; (3) enacted appropriate legislation to carry out specified commitments under its settlement agreement with the tribe; and (4) given a waiver specified in such settlement agreement.
Exempts the leasehold granted the tribe under the lease agreement from all State and local taxes.
Treats the lands leased to the tribe under the lease agreement as if such lands constituted a federally recognized Indian reservation solely for purposes of determining eligibility of the tribe and its members for Federal assistance.
Permits the State of Florida to take or diminish any interest granted the tribe under the lease agreement only for a public purpose and upon payment of just compensation, but without approval of Congress or any executive officer of the United States.
Directs the Secretary to accept the transfer to the United States, to be held in trust for the use and benefit of the tribe, of specified lands authorized to be conveyed to the tribe by specified Florida statutes.
Provides that the State of Florida shall continue to have civil and criminal jurisdiction over such lands unless the State retrocedes such jurisdiction in whole or part.
Subjects such transfer of lands to all existing leases, easements, and rights-of-way, and all the rights, easements, and reservations in favor of the South Florida Water Management District. Declares that any such transfer shall not confer upon the tribe, or upon the lands within the reservation, any additional water rights.
Limits actions to contest the constitutionality of this Act.
Revokes specified provisions of this Act in the event the settlement agreement between the tribe and the State of Florida is ever invalidated.
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. 11 actions.
- Dec 31, 1982Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-399.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 21, 1982PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Dec 17, 1982FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Dec 8, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Dec 6, 1982FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 30, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 29, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 21, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
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.