Public Lands and National Parks Act of 1983
Public Law 98-141 · H.R. 1213 · 98th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 31, 1983 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Rep. John Seiberling (D-OH-14)
Cosponsors: None
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.
Public Lands and National Parks Act of 1983 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey specified land within the Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa in exchange for land adjacent to the monument which shall be added to it.
Increases the authorizations of appropriations for land acquisition for: (1) the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts; (2) the Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina; (3) the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan; and (4) the Congaree Swamp National Monument in South Carolina. Increases the authorization of appropriations for the development of essential facilities for the Congaree Swamp National Monument.
Increases the maximum authorization of appropriations allowed for land acquisition and development with respect to Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial in Ohio.
Amends the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation Act of 1972 to increase from $100,000,000 to $120,000,000 the borrowing authority of the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation. Authorizes appropriations for the Corporation's operating and administrative expenses for FY 1984 through 1988.
Prohibits significant changes in the development plan for the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Area and significant actions by the Corporation which relate to housing, any major structure, historic preservation, office space, or retail uses within the development area for 30 days after notice of any such changes or actions have been submitted to specified congressional committees, unless within such time period each such committee notifies the Corporation that it does not object to such changes or actions.
Requires the Corporation to transmit to Congress an estimate, for each fiscal year, of the additional funds needed to carry out the development plan through FY 1990. Requires the Corporation to report annually to the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on: (1) its actions to protect and enhance the significant historic and architectural values of structures under its jurisdiction; and (2) actions and issues relating to historic and architectural preservation in the upcoming fiscal year.
Provides for the conveyance by the United States of its reverter and reserved mineral interests in certain lands in Florida to the State of Florida in exchange for conveyance to the United States of marketable title to other specified land in Florida. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, immediately upon receipt by the United States of such title to such land, to convey such land to Florida, but with the mineral rights and a right of reverter in such land to be held by the United States.
Provides that the conveyance limitation under the Color of Title Act (which limits conveyances under such Act to a maximum of 160 acres) shall not apply to any patent claim filed under such Act for a specified parcel of land (described as Saint Helena Meridian) in Louisiana.
Provides for the conveyance of certain Federal lands in the Sequoia National Forest in California to persons who submit written applications to the Secretary of Agriculture within five years after enactment of this Act.
Revises the exterior boundaries of the San Juan and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado in order to provide for: (1) the consolidation of lands in such forests, lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, Montrose District, and lands acquired by the Bureau of Reclamation as part of the McPhee Dam and Reservoir; and (2) more efficient administration of such lands.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Natural Resources Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee
Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Senate · markup by, 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. 18 actions.
- Oct 31, 1983Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-141.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 21, 1983PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 20, 1983Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 6, 1983FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
- May 20, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- May 13, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 7, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Mar 10, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Mar 8, 1983FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Mar 2, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- Feb 23, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
- Feb 15, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Feb 4, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Feb 2, 1983CommitteeCommittee · 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.