Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act
Signed into law Dec 19, 2025 · Native Americans
What this law does
- Directs the Interior Department to place about 40 acres in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, into protected ownership for two Sioux tribes.
- Requires the land to be kept as a memorial and sacred site under a 2022 agreement between the two tribes.
- Bans business development and gambling on the land.
Plain-language list by Voting On, based only on the official summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service and the bill's titles. Read the official summary.
How it became law
- IntroducedJan 3, 2025 · House
- 19 daysPassed HouseJan 22, 2025
- 323 daysPassed SenateDec 11, 2025
- 7 daysPresented to the PresidentDec 18, 2025
- 1 daySigned into lawDec 19, 2025
Official summary
Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act
This act directs the Department of the Interior to complete all actions necessary to place approximately 40 acres of land in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, into restricted fee status for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Restricted fee status refers to land that is owned by a tribe or tribal member but is subject to restrictions by the United States against alienation (i.e., sale or transfer) or encumbrance (e.g., liens, leases, or rights-of-way) by operation of law.
The act requires the land to be held and maintained as a memorial and sacred site, as outlined by the document titled Covenant Between the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and dated October 21, 2022. Further, it prohibits commercial development and gaming activity on the land.
Summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (Public Law, Dec 19, 2025).
Who wrote it
Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]
0 cosponsors. 0 signed on the day it was introduced.
Recorded votes
| Date | Chamber | Vote | Yeas | Nays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 2025 | House | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 416 - 0 (Roll no. 22). | 416 | 0 |
What was added
Amendments adopted (0)
No floor amendments were adopted. Any changes were made in committee or in a later version of the bill.
Sections in the final law that were not in the first version (Introduced in House) (0)
None. Every section heading in the final law was already in the first version (Introduced in House).
What was removed
Sections in the first version (Introduced in House) that did not make it into the law (0)
None. Every section heading from the first version (Introduced in House) remains in the law.
Compared by section heading between the Introduced in House text (Jan 3, 2025) and the Enrolled Bill text, both from GovInfo. Wording changes inside a section that kept its heading are not shown here; see the amendments and the text versions.
Proposed but not adopted
No amendments were voted down or withdrawn.
Full action history
Show all 25 official actions
| Dec 19, 2025 | Signed by President. |
| Dec 19, 2025 | Signed by President. |
| Dec 19, 2025 | Became Public Law No: 119-61. |
| Dec 19, 2025 | Became Public Law No: 119-61. |
| Dec 18, 2025 | Presented to President. |
| Dec 18, 2025 | Presented to President. |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Message on Senate action sent to the House. |
| Dec 11, 2025 | Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. |
| Dec 11, 2025 | Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8685) |
| Oct 2, 2025 | Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 119-72. |
| Oct 2, 2025 | Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 119-72. |
| Oct 2, 2025 | Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 177. |
| Mar 5, 2025 | Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. |
| Jan 23, 2025 | Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. |
| Jan 22, 2025 | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. |
| Jan 22, 2025 | Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 416 - 0 (Roll no. 22). (text: 1/21/2025 CR H246-247) |
| Jan 22, 2025 | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 416 - 0 (Roll no. 22). (text: 1/21/2025 CR H246-247) |
| Jan 22, 2025 | Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H285) |
| Jan 21, 2025 | At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed. |
| Jan 21, 2025 | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 165. |
| Jan 21, 2025 | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H246-248) |
| Jan 21, 2025 | Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. |
| Jan 3, 2025 | Introduced in House |
| Jan 3, 2025 | Introduced in House |
| Jan 3, 2025 | Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. |
Sources: Congress.gov (bill record, sponsors, actions, amendments, CRS summary) and GovInfo (official text). Days are calendar days.