Great Smoky Mountains Wilderness Act
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Great Smoky Mountains Wilderness Act - Designates specified lands in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee, as wilderness. Excludes a ten-acre enclave including the Mount Le Conte Lodge from the wilderness area and designates such area as potential wilderness under the provisions of the Wilderness Act. Excludes trail shelters in use within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the date of the enactment of this Act from review by the Secretary of the Interior as to the suitability or nonsuitability of such areas for preservation as wilderness. Requires such shelters to be maintained for a period of at least 15 years from the date of enactment of this Act, unless the Director of the National Park Service determines that continued maintenance of the shelters is not required for the health, safety, and well-being of lawful users. Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Tennessee Valley Authority to negotiate the transfer of certain legal rights and easements retained by the Authority over lands within the park, where such legal rights and easements are: (1) inconsistent with the provisions of the Wilderness Act; or (2) not necessary for the operation and maintenance of the Fontana Lake Dam. States that a certain tract of land formerly owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority shall be designated and administered as wilderness effective on the date of enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to acquire all lands or interests in lands within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park within four years of the enactment of this Act. Permits the Secretary, within the boundaries of the wilderness designated by this Act, to acquire lands and interests therein by purchase, condemnation, donation, transfer from any Federal or State agency, or exchange. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect adversely, or to authorize any Federal agency to take any action which would adversely affect, any rights or privileges, pursuant to a specified agreement of the Secretary of the Interior, the State of North Carolina, and the county of Swain, North Carolina, in property within the wilderness designated by this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to seek arrangements agreeable to the State of North Carolina and the county of Swain, North Carolina, which would eliminate the need for any encroachment, pursuant to such agreement, upon the wilderness designated by this Act. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to endeavor to find an agreeable compromise which will: (1) satisfy the intent of the agreement relating to the county of Swain, North Carolina; and (2) preserve the community values and the way of life of the county of Swain, North Carolina. Declares that the wilderness designated by this Act, including the tract of land formerly owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority, shall be known as the Great Smoky Mountains Wilderness.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on November 20, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on November 20, 1980: Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JAMES SASSER (D-TN) introduced it on November 20, 1980. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on November 20, 1980, 16730 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16730 days ago, on November 20, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers