An act to designate certain National Forest System lands in the State of Georgia as wilderness, and for other purposes.
Public Law 98-514 · S. 2773 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 19, 1984 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Sen. Samuel Nunn (D-GA)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Mack Mattingly
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.
Georgia Wilderness Act of 1984 - Designates the following lands in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) the Ellicott Rock Wilderness Addition; and (2) the Southern Nantahala Wilderness Addition. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to file maps of these areas with specified congressional committees as soon as practicable after the enactment of this Act. States that these areas shall be administered by the Secretary.
Provides that the RARE II (second roadless area review and evaluation) final environmental impact statement (dated January 1979) with respect to national forest system lands in Georgia shall not be subject to judicial review. Releases national forest system lands in Georgia which were reviewed in the RARE II program from further review by the Department of Agriculture, pending the revision of initial national forest management plans. Releases lands in Georgia reviewed in the RARE II program and not designated as wilderness from management as wilderness areas. Prohibits any further statewide roadless area review and evaluation in Georgia without express congressional authorization. States that the provisions above shall also apply to national forest system roadless lands in Georgia which are less than 5,000 acres in size. Specifies those areas in Georgia to which the provisions above shall not apply.
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. 12 actions.
- Oct 19, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-514.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 10, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 4, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 2, 1984FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- Sep 18, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Sep 13, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Jul 25, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Production and Price Competitiveness Subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Jun 27, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Production and Price Competitiveness Subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Jun 19, 1984CommitteeCommittee · 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.