An act to designate certain national forest system lands in the State of Arkansas for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, and for other purposes.
Public Law 98-508 · S. 2125 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 19, 1984 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Sen. Dale Bumpers (D-AR)
Cosponsors (2): Sen. David Pryor, Sen. John Tower
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.
Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984 - Designates the following lands in Arkansas as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) the Black Fork Mountain Wilderness in the Ouachita National Forest; (2) the Dry Creek Wilderness in the Ouachita National Forest; (3) the Poteau Mountain Wilderness in the Ouachita National Forest; (4) the Flatside Wilderness in the Ouachita National Forest; (5) the Upper Buffalo Addition in the Ozark-Saint Francis National Forest; (6) the Hurricane Creek Wilderness in the Ozark-Saint Francis National Forest; (7) the Richland Creek Wilderness in the Ozark-Saint Francis National Forest; (8) the East Fork Wilderness in the Ozark-Saint Francis National Forest; and (9) the Leatherwood Wilderness in the Ozark-Saint Francis National Forest.
Provides that the RARE II (second roadless area review and evaluation) final environmental statement (dated January 1979) with respect to national forest system lands in Arkansas shall not be subject to judicial review. Releases national forest system lands in Arkansas which were reviewed in the RARE II program from further review by the Department of Agriculture, pending the revision of national forest management plans. Releases lands in Arkansas reviewed in the RARE II program and not designated as wilderness from management as wilderness areas. Prohibits the Department of Agriculture from conducting any further statewide roadless area review and evaluation of national forest system lands in Arkansas without express congressional authorization. Applies these provisions to National Forest System roadless lands in Arkansas which are less than 5,000 acres.
States that Congress does not intend that designation of wilderness area in Arkansas lead to the creation of buffer zones around each wilderness area.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Agriculture Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Forests, Family Farms, and Energy Subcommittee- 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. 20 actions.
- Oct 19, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-508.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 10, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 4, 1984Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment by Voice Vote.
- Oct 2, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Sep 28, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 26, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 13, 1984CommitteeCommittee · 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
- Sep 6, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Aug 21, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Forests, Family Farms, and Energy Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- Aug 10, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Aug 9, 1984FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- May 18, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- May 2, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 6, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Nov 17, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources 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.