Tennessee Wilderness Act of 1984
Public Law 98-578 · H.R. 4263 · 98th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 30, 1984 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Rep. John Duncan (R-TN-2)
Cosponsors (4): Rep. Donald Sundquist, Rep. Jim Cooper,
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.
Tennessee Wilderness Act of 1984 - Designates the following lands in the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) the Big Frog Wilderness; (2) the Citico Creek Wilderness; and (3) the Bald River Gorge Wilderness.
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 Monroe and Polk Counties in Tennessee shall not be subject to judicial review. Releases national forest system lands in such counties which were reviewed in the RARE II program from further review by the Department of Agriculture, pending revision of initial national forest management plans. Releases lands in such counties reviewed in the RARE II program and not designated as wilderness from management as wilderness areas. States that the provisions of this paragraph shall also apply to National Forest System roadless lands in Monroe and Polk Counties, Tennessee of less than 5,000 acres.
Requires the Secretary to review the Little Frog Wilderness Study Area and the Big Frog Study Area, both located in the Cherokee National Forest, to determine their suitability for preservation as wilderness.
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
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. 21 actions.
- Oct 30, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-578.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 18, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 4, 1984Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 2, 1984FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment 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
- May 24, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Production and Price Competitiveness Subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- May 10, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Production and Price Competitiveness Subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- May 3, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- May 1, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Yea-Nay Vote: 404 - 12 (Record Vote No: 119).House roll call 119
- Apr 26, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 25, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 10, 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
- Mar 29, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Nov 14, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to National Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Nov 7, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Forests, Family Farms, and Energy Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- Nov 1, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · 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.