HR 165
· 119th Congress
· Native Americans
Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act
Sponsor
Latest action
Became Public Law No: 119-61.
Action timeline
Every recorded action on this bill, newest first. Stage badges color-code the legislative path.
Dec 19, 2025
signed
Signed by President.
Dec 19, 2025
signed
Became Public Law No: 119-61.
Dec 18, 2025
sent
Presented to President.
Dec 15, 2025
floor
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Dec 11, 2025
passed
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Dec 11, 2025
passed
Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8685)
Oct 02, 2025
committee
Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 119-72.
Indian Affairs Committee
Oct 02, 2025
other
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 177.
Mar 05, 2025
committee
Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Indian Affairs Committee
Jan 23, 2025
introduced
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Indian Affairs Committee
Jan 22, 2025
floor
Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H285)
Jan 22, 2025
passed
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
passed
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
passed
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Jan 21, 2025
floor
Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Jan 21, 2025
floor
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H246-248)
Jan 21, 2025
floor
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 165.
Jan 21, 2025
floor
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 03, 2025
introduced
Introduced in House
Jan 03, 2025
introduced
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Natural Resources Committee
Text versions
Each stage of the bill — official text published by GPO. Click any format to read on congress.gov / govinfo.
CRS summaries
Plain-English summaries written by the Congressional Research Service — neutral, nonpartisan staff who summarize bills as they advance through stages. The authoritative description of what each version of the bill does.
00
Introduced in House
Jan 03, 2025
Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act
This bill 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 bill 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.
via Congressional Research Service · published through congress.gov
Changelog
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih / is — Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh / rfs — Referred to a committee for review.rh / rs — Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs / pch — Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh / es — Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh / rds — Received by the other chamber.eah / eas — Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath / ats — Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr — Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl — Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp — Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih/is— Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh/rfs— Referred to a committee for review.rh/rs— Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs/pch— Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh/es— Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh/rds— Received by the other chamber.eah/eas— Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath/ats— Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr— Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl— Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp— Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
Line-level diff between text versions of this bill — what actually changed at each legislative stage.
+61
−81
34 unchanged
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Reading both versions of the bill and writing a plain-English summary. Typical bills take 5–15 seconds; large reconciliation bills can take a minute. This summary will be cached after generation.
--- Engrossed (House)
+++ Enrolled
@@ -1,15 +1,20 @@
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
-[H.R. 165 Engrossed in House (EH)]
+[H.R. 165 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
-<DOC>
+H.R.165
-119th CONGRESS
-1st Session
-H. R. 165
+One Hundred Nineteenth Congress
-_______________________________________________________________________
+of the
-AN ACT
+United States of America
+
+AT THE FIRST SESSION
+
+Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday,
+the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-five
+
+An Act
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to complete all actions
necessary for certain land to be held in restricted fee status by the
@@ -18,100 +23,75 @@
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 ``Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and
Sacred Site Act''.
-
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
-
In this Act:
-(1) Restricted fee status.--The term ``restricted fee
-status'' means a status in which the Tribal land--
+(1) Restricted fee status.--The term ``restricted fee status''
+means a status in which the Tribal land--
(A) shall continue to be owned by the Tribes;
-(B) shall be part of the Pine Ridge Indian
-Reservation and expressly made subject to the civil and
-criminal jurisdiction of the Oglala Sioux Tribe;
+(B) shall be part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and
+expressly made subject to the civil and criminal jurisdiction
+of the Oglala Sioux Tribe;
(C) shall not be transferred without the consent of
Congress and the Tribes;
-(D) shall not be subject to taxation by a State or
-local government; and
-(E) shall not be subject to any provision of law
-providing for the review or approval by the Secretary
-of the Interior before the Tribes may use the land for
-any purpose as allowed by the document titled
-``Covenant Between the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the
-Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe'' and dated October 21,
-2022, directly, or through agreement with another
-party.
-(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
-of the Interior.
+(D) shall not be subject to taxation by a State or local
+government; and
+(E) shall not be subject to any provision of law providing
+for the review or approval by the Secretary of the Interior
+before the Tribes may use the land for any purpose as allowed
+by the document titled ``Covenant Between the Oglala Sioux
+Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe'' and dated October
+21, 2022, directly, or through agreement with another party.
+(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
+the Interior.
(3) Tribal land.--The term ``Tribal land'' means the
approximately 40 acres (including the surface and subsurface
estate, and mineral estate, and any and all improvements,
-structures, and personal property on those acres) on the Pine
-Ridge Indian Reservation in Oglala Lakota County, at Rural
-County Road 4, Wounded Knee, South Dakota, and generally
-depicted as ``Area of Interest'' on the map entitled ``Wounded
-Knee Sacred Site and Memorial Land'' and dated October 26,
-2022, which is a segment of the December 29, 1890, Wounded Knee
-Massacre site.
-(4) Tribes.--The term ``Tribes'' means the Oglala Sioux
-Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River
-Reservation, both tribes being among the constituent tribes of
-the Great Sioux Nation and signatories to the Fort Laramie
-Treaty of 1868 between the United States of America and the
-Great Sioux Nation, 15 Stat. 635.
-
+structures, and personal property on those acres) on the Pine Ridge
+Indian Reservation in Oglala Lakota County, at Rural County Road 4,
+Wounded Knee, South Dakota, and generally depicted as ``Area of
+Interest'' on the map entitled ``Wounded Knee Sacred Site and
+Memorial Land'' and dated October 26, 2022, which is a segment of
+the December 29, 1890, Wounded Knee Massacre site.
+(4) Tribes.--The term ``Tribes'' means the Oglala Sioux Tribe
+and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation,
+both tribes being among the constituent tribes of the Great Sioux
+Nation and signatories to the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 between
+the United States of America and the Great Sioux Nation, 15 Stat.
+635.
SEC. 3. LAND HELD IN RESTRICTED FEE STATUS BY THE TRIBES.
-
(a) Action by Secretary.--Not later than 365 days after enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall--
(1) complete all actions, including documentation and minor
corrections to the survey and legal description of Tribal land,
necessary for the Tribal land to be held by the Tribes in
restricted fee status; and
-(2) appropriately assign each applicable private and
-municipal utility and service right or agreement with regard to
-the Tribal land.
+(2) appropriately assign each applicable private and municipal
+utility and service right or agreement with regard to the Tribal
+land.
(b) Conditions.--
-(1) Federal laws relating to indian land.--Except as
-otherwise provided in this Act, the Tribal land shall be
-subject to Federal laws relating to Indian country, as defined
-by section 1151 of title 18, United States Code and protected
-by the restriction against alienation in section 177 of title
-25, United States Code.
+(1) Federal laws relating to indian land.--Except as otherwise
+provided in this Act, the Tribal land shall be subject to Federal
+laws relating to Indian country, as defined by section 1151 of
+title 18, United States Code and protected by the restriction
+against alienation in section 177 of title 25, United States Code.
(2) Use of land.--The Tribal land shall be used for the
purposes allowed by the document titled ``Covenant Between the
-Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe'' and
-dated October 21, 2022.
-(3) Encumbrances and agreements.--The Tribal land shall
-remain subject to any private or municipal encumbrance, right-
-of-way, restriction, easement of record, or utility service
-agreement in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
-(4) Gaming.--Pursuant to the document titled ``Covenant
-Between the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux
-Tribe'' and dated October 21, 2022, the Tribal land shall not
-be used for gaming activity under the Indian Gaming Regulatory
-Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.).
+Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe'' and dated
+October 21, 2022.
+(3) Encumbrances and agreements.--The Tribal land shall remain
+subject to any private or municipal encumbrance, right-of-way,
+restriction, easement of record, or utility service agreement in
+effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
+(4) Gaming.--Pursuant to the document titled ``Covenant Between
+the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe'' and
+dated October 21, 2022, the Tribal land shall not be used for
+gaming activity under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C.
+2701 et seq.).
-Passed the House of Representatives January 22, 2025.
+Speaker of the House of Representatives.
-Attest:
-
-Clerk.
-119th CONGRESS
-
-1st Session
-
-H. R. 165
-
-_______________________________________________________________________
-
-AN ACT
-
-To direct the Secretary of the Interior to complete all actions
-necessary for certain land to be held in restricted fee status by the
-Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and for other
-purposes.
+Vice President of the United States and
+President of the Senate.