As in the Senate (see Senate votes 6, 7, & 8), House debate on legislation to protect California's fragile desert lands was marked by controversy and frequent attempts at amendment. During the 11-week debate, in fact, lawmakers filed 43 amendments to the California Desert Protection Act (H.R. 518) introduced by Reps. Richard Lehman (D-CA) and George Miller (D-CA). Many amendments were offered by opponents as part of a strategy to prevent passage of the bill through extensive delays.

Recorded votes were taken on most of the proposed amendments, including the following:

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) sought to essentially prevent designation of National Parks and wilderness areas by offering an amendment to revoke protection for lands included in the bill until the National Park Service reduced by half its existing backlog of land acquisition projects elsewhere in the country.

On July 27, 1994, the House rejected the Calvert amendment by a vote of 138 - 288. NO is the pro-environment vote.