A bill to amend the Volunteers in the Parks Act of 1969, and for other purposes.
Public Law 98-540 · S. 864 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 24, 1984 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Sen. James McClure (R-ID)
Cosponsors: None
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.
(Senate agreed to House amendment with an amendment)
Amends the Volunteers in the Parks Act of 1969 to increase the ceiling on the authorization of appropriations for the volunteers in parks program, for any one year, from $250,000 to $1,000,000.
Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to recruit volunteers to aid in the activities administered by the Secretary through the Bureau of Land Management. Prohibits the use of such volunteers in hazardous duty or law enforcement work, or in policymaking processes, or to displace current employees. Authorizes the Secretary to pay the costs incidental to such volunteer services. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of the first sentence of this paragraph.
States that Congress finds that the expansion of the contracting authority of the managers of certain conservation areas, parks, wildlife refuges, and lands should be considered only after careful study of the existing management mandates and contracting authorities. Exempts the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service from the provisions of the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 (relating to contracting authority), for activities involving ten full time equivalents or less. Prohibits for FY 1985 through FY 1988, by such agencies, activities which are subject to such circular, unless funds have been specifically provided for such activities by an Act of Congress. Permits such agencies to enter into contracts for services and materials under other provisions of laws, regulations, orders, rules, and policies.
Requires the National Park Service, beginning FY 1985, to implement a maintenance management system into the maintenance and operations programs of the National Park System. Requires the National Park Service to annually transmit to specified congressional committees a report summarizing the status of implementation of a maintenance management system until such system has been implemented.
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. 19 actions.
- Oct 24, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-540.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 12, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 4, 1984Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments to House Amendments by Voice Vote.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate concurred in the House amendment with an amendment (SP 7038) by Voice Vote.
- Aug 6, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- Aug 1, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
- Jul 27, 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
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Oct 11, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 19, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 15, 1983FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- Aug 4, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Jul 21, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Jun 27, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Mar 18, 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.