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HR 1612
Passed House Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

Flatside Wilderness Additions Act

Introduced Feb 26, 2025

Latest action (Oct 27, 2025) Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 219.

Referred to
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Natural Resources Committee
Policy area
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Issues
Climate & Energy
Legislative subjects (4)
ArkansasForests, forestry, treesGeography and mappingWilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary

This bill adds approximately 2,212 acres of land in the Ouachita National Forest to the existing Flatside Wilderness established by the Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984. The expanded wilderness area is renamed from "Flatside Wilderness" to "Flatside-Bethune Wilderness," and all future references to the wilderness area will use the new name. The bill preserves the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to manage fire, insects, and diseases in the wilderness in accordance with the Wilderness Act. The new acreage is depicted on a map dated November 12, 2024, which identifies the land proposed for wilderness designation.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to J. French Hill’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

  • NULL $33,405
  • KKR $29,700
  • COINBASE $28,900
  • BNY MELLON $28,100
  • STEPHENS INC. $27,250

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for J. French Hill → · Outside spending →

Actions (12)
  1. Oct 27, 2025 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 219. · senate
  2. Oct 27, 2025 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Reported by Senator Boozman without amendment. Without written report. · senate
  3. Oct 21, 2025 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. · senate
  4. May 14, 2025 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. · senate
  5. May 13, 2025 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. · house
  6. May 13, 2025 On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1967) · house
  7. May 13, 2025 Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1967)
  8. May 13, 2025 DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1612. · house
  9. May 13, 2025 Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1966-1969) · house
  10. May 13, 2025 Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. · house
  11. Feb 26, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. · house
  12. Feb 26, 2025 Introduced in House

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

  • HR 9770 — Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027 (shares 3 subjects)
  • S 3526 — PUBLIC Lands Act (shares 3 subjects)
  • S 945 — Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act (shares 3 subjects)
  • S 1681 — Shenandoah Mountain Act (shares 3 subjects)
  • S 2548 — Shawnee National Forest Conservation Act of 2025 (shares 3 subjects)
  • S 2882 — Continuing Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters Act, 2026 (shares 3 subjects)
  • HR 5450 — Continuing Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters Act, 2026 (shares 3 subjects)
  • HR 5041 — Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act (shares 3 subjects)

Text versions (4)
  • Reported to Senate · Oct 27, 2025
  • Referred in Senate · May 14, 2025
  • Engrossed in House · May 13, 2025
  • Introduced in House · Feb 26, 2025

Full text

AN ACT

To designate the Flatside-Bethune Wilderness in the Ouachita National Forest, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Flatside Wilderness Additions Act”.

SEC. 2. ADDITIONS TO FLATSIDE WILDERNESS.

Section 3(d) of Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-508; 98 Stat. 2349) is amended by inserting “and certain land in the Ouachita National Forest, which comprise approximately 2,212 acres, generally depicted as” Land Proposed for Wilderness Designation “on the map titled” Flatside Wilderness, Proposed Addition Designation “, dated November 12, 2024” after “1984”.

SEC. 3. FIRE, INSECTS, AND DISEASES.

Nothing in this Act or the amendment made by section 2 shall be construed to limit the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture under section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(1)), in accordance with existing laws (including regulations).

SEC. 4. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS ADDITION.

The wilderness designated by section 3(d) of Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-508; 98 Stat. 2349), shall be known as the “Flatside-Bethune Wilderness”. Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to such portion of the Flatside Wilderness shall be deemed to be a reference to the Flatside-Bethune Wilderness.

Passed the House of Representatives May 13, 2025.

Attest:

Clerk. 119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 1612

AN ACT

To designate the Flatside-Bethune Wilderness in the Ouachita National Forest, and for other purposes.

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