All Roll Calls
Yes: 416 • No: 0
119-hr-165119th CongressWALLET
Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act
Sponsored By: Representative Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]
Became Law
Summary
Places about 40 acres of the Wounded Knee site into Tribal restricted fee status. This law makes that land part of the Pine Ridge Reservation and sets rules to protect and use it as a memorial and sacred site.
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- Tribes: The Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe will hold the roughly 40 acres in restricted fee status. The land remains Tribal property and cannot be transferred without the consent of Congress and the Tribes.
- Jurisdiction: The land is part of the Pine Ridge Reservation and is expressly subject to the civil and criminal jurisdiction of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Federal Indian land law under 18 U.S.C. 1151 applies.
- Uses and protections: Uses must follow the Covenant dated October 21, 2022, focusing on memorialization and sacred site protection and prohibiting gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
- Existing rights: Any private or municipal encumbrance, right of way, easement, or utility agreement in effect on the date of enactment stays in place and will be appropriately assigned.
- Implementation: The Secretary of the Interior must complete all necessary actions, including documentation and minor survey corrections and utility assignments, within 365 days.
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Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Wounded Knee sacred land under tribal control
The law protects about 40 acres at Wounded Knee as Tribal land owned by the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes. It is part of the Pine Ridge Reservation and under the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s civil and criminal law. The land is not subject to state or local taxes and cannot be transferred without the consent of Congress and the Tribes. The Tribes use the land only as allowed by their October 21, 2022 Covenant; no gaming under federal Indian gaming law is allowed. Existing easements and utility agreements stay in place, and the Tribes do not need Interior approval for uses allowed by the Covenant. Interior must finish the transfer, fix the survey and legal description, and assign utility rights within 365 days of enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]
SD • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
house vote • 1/22/2025
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass
Yes: 416 • No: 0