Mike Rounds (R-SD)
Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act
A Republican bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 176.
Cleared committee, waiting for its first floor vote
A committee approved it and it is on the calendar of the chamber it started in.
This is further than most bills get, and still no promise of a vote: the calendar is a queue, and the majority leadership decides what is called. A bill can sit here until the Congress ends.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- On Calendar
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the ``Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act'', directs the Secretary of the Interior to take specific actions regarding approximately 40 acres of land on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The goal is to ensure this land is held in restricted fee status by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. The Secretary must complete all necessary actions, including documentation and legal descriptions, within 365 days of the Act's enactment. Additionally, the Secretary is tasked with assigning applicable private and municipal utility and service rights. The land is a segment of the December 29, 1890, Wounded Knee Massacre site.
Yes· 3 of 4
- Scored +9
Would Native Americans be better off under this?
The bill explicitly protects the land and jurisdictional authority of the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes.
- Scored +7
Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated?
The bill protects sacred tribal lands and strengthens tribal sovereignty for Native American communities.
- Scored +5
Does this better protect public land such as parks and forests?
The bill clarifies and stabilizes land status for a sacred site through specific federal action.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Land Ownership and Protection: The bill ensures the Tribal land will continue to be owned by the Tribes and cannot be transferred without the consent of both Congress and the Tribes (Section 2, Subsection 1).
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Jurisdictional Control: The land will be part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and is expressly subject to the civil and criminal jurisdiction of the Oglala Sioux Tribe (Section 2, Subsection 1).
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Tax Protection: The land will not be subject to taxation by a State or local government (Section 2, Subsection 1).
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Tribal Autonomy in Land Use: The Tribes can use the land for purposes allowed by the ``Covenant Between the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe'' without needing prior review or approval from the Secretary of the Interior (Section 2, Subsection 1).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Restrictions on Land Use: The Tribal land cannot be used for gaming activity under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (Section 3, Subsection 2).
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Existing Encumbrances: The land remains subject to any private or municipal encumbrance, right-of-way, restriction, easement of record, or utility service agreement that was in effect on the date the Act was enacted (Section 3, Subsection 3).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would Native Americans be better off under this? — The bill explicitly protects the land and jurisdictional authority of the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The bill protects sacred tribal lands and strengthens tribal sovereignty for Native American communities.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this better protect public land such as parks and forests? — The bill clarifies and stabilizes land status for a sacred site through specific federal action.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill requires specific Secretary of the Interior actions to facilitate land status transitions.
- 10/2/2025
- Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 119-71.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 176.
- 3/5/2025
- Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- 1/15/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
John ThuneRepublican · South Dakota