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A bill to establish a permanent boundary for the Acadia National Park in the State of Maine, and for other purposes.

Public Law 99-420 · S. 720 · 99th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Sep 25, 1986 · Public Lands and Natural Resources

Sponsor: Sen. George Mitchell (D-ME)

Cosponsors (1): Sen. William Cohen

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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

(Senate agreed to House amendment with amendment)

Title I: Establishes a permanent boundary for Acadia National Park, Maine. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire specified lands by purchase, exchange, donation, or condemnation, depending upon the current ownership and use of such land.

Authorizes the Secretary to use eminent domain to acquire specified tracts when development on such lands is not incompatible with the purposes of the Park. Permits the owner of any private property acquired by the Secretary to retain a right of occupancy for life or 25 years so long as such owner complies with the purposes of the Park.

Directs the Secretary to convey unexchanged lands under such Secretary's jurisdiction but not within the prescribed boundary to the towns in which they are located after ten years.

Directs the Secretary to convey specified lands to Bar Harbor, Maine, for municipal purposes and for use as a solid waste transfer station with the Secretary contributing part of the construction costs.

Authorizes the Secretary to acquire: (1) lands in the area identified as Schooner Head; and (2) conservation easements in Schooner Head and in specified lands adjacent to the Park on Schoodic Peninsula on the islands of Hancock and Knox Counties which would limit development to preserve such lands' natural qualities or historic or cultural resources. Requires the Secretary to notify the town where the land is located and the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission before acquiring such an easement.

Directs the Secretary to exchange specified lands in Maine with the Jackson Laboratory.

Establishes the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission to advise the Secretary respecting the acquisition of lands and land interests when developing the Acadia National Park. Terminates the Commission 20 years after enactment.

Requires the transfer of Federal property on Bear Island to the Secretary for the Acadia National Park.

Authorizes appropriations.

Directs the Secretary to make a payment for 12 years to each of specified towns reflecting the amount of land owned in fee within such town by the United States. Requires such payment to be used for specified municipal purposes.

Title II: Extends the term of the Cape Code National Seashore Advisory Commission to a total of 30 years, through 1996, after the establishment of such Seashore.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 22 actions.

  1. Sep 25, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-420.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Sep 17, 1986PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Sep 11, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate receded from its amendment No. 4 to the House amendment. By Voice Vote.
  5. Jul 24, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Disagreed to Senate Amendment 004 by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments 001, 002, 003 by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Jun 6, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate concurred in the House amendment with an amendment (SP 2057). By Voice Vote.
  8. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  9. May 5, 1986FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  10. CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
  11. Apr 23, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
  12. Apr 17, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by National Parks and Recreation Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by National Parks and Recreation Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  14. Dec 13, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Referred to National Parks and Recreation Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  15. Dec 5, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
  16. Dec 3, 1985FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
  17. Nov 22, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  18. Nov 20, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  19. Jul 12, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  20. Mar 20, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  21. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  22. 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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.