A bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain National Forest System Lands, and for other purposes.
Public Law 97-465 · S. 705 · 97th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Jan 12, 1983 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)
Cosponsors (3): Sen. Mark Hatfield, Sen. Jake Garn,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- 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.
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain National Forest System (System) lands which cannot be practicably conveyed under any other authority of the Secretary and: (1) whose individual value is not more than $150,000; (2) are 40 acres or less and interspersed with or adjacent to lands already transferred out of Federal ownership under mining laws; (3) are ten acres or less and have been innocently encroached upon due to an erroneous survey or other land description; or (4) are road rights-of-way no longer needed by the Government.
Directs the Secretary to retain public interest rights (scenic, wildlife, recreation, and public access) in any conveyance of System lands.
States that any person receiving: (1) such land shall pay the associated conveyance costs; or (2) a road right-of-way shall reimburse the Government for improvements. Permits the Secretary to waive these provisions.
States that: (1) conveyances of road rights-of- way shall be used or maintained according to State or local laws; and (2) nothing in this title authorizes conveyances of public lands within the National Wilderness Preservation System, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, the National Trails System, or the National Forest Monuments. Prohibits the sale, but not other forms of conveyance, of Federal lands in National Recreation Areas.
Amends Federal law to permit State, county, and local governmental bodies to participate in System land exchanges (currently limited to public school authorities) to the extent that such lands: (1) are already in use by these bodies; and (2) are used for the same purposes.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
- Natural Resources Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant and Animal Health Subcommittee- Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Senate · markup by, re-referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation 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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 22 actions.
- Jan 12, 1983Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-465.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jan 3, 1983PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Dec 21, 1982FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Natural Resources Committee
- Dec 2, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 27, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 8, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Aug 19, 1982FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
- Jul 1, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Jun 30, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Jun 24, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- May 27, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Re-referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 19, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Mar 31, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Oct 22, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant and Animal Health Subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Mar 17, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant and Animal Health Subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Mar 12, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 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.