An act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to release on behalf of the United States a reversionary interest in certain land in the State of Delaware.
Public Law 98-195 · S. 1503 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Dec 1, 1983 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Sen. William Roth (R-DE)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Joseph Biden
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.
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to release to the State of Delaware certain reversionary interests in specified lands in Sussex County.
Conditions such release upon certification by the Secretary of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources that specified wetlands, marsh, or shore lands have been dedicated to public purposes. Requires such certification to include: (1) a legal description of the lands; (2) a legal opinion that title to such lands vests in the State of Delaware and that a public purpose restriction applies to them.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Production and Price Competitiveness 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. 13 actions.
- Dec 1, 1983Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-195.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 23, 1983PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Nov 18, 1983FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Agriculture Committee
- Nov 17, 1983FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- Oct 31, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Oct 19, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Sep 22, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Production and Price Competitiveness Subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Jun 20, 1983CommitteeCommittee · 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.