HR 165 Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.
Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act
Summary
This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer approximately 40 acres of land at the Wounded Knee Massacre site in South Dakota to the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe within one year of enactment. The land would be held in "restricted fee status," meaning the tribes would own it, it would become part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation under tribal jurisdiction, and it could not be transferred or taxed by state or local governments without Congressional and tribal consent. The tribes would have authority to use the land according to a covenant agreement between them dated October 21, 2022, though gaming activities under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act would be prohibited. The land would remain subject to existing utility agreements and easements currently in effect. The bill recognizes the site as both a memorial and sacred site for the tribes.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Dusty Johnson’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $68,175
- SANFORD HEALTH $31,000
- STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA $28,050
- AVERA HEALTH $18,200
- VANTAGE POINT $15,205
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Dusty Johnson → · Outside spending →
Actions (20)
- Dec 19, 2025 Became Public Law No: 119-61.
- Dec 19, 2025 Signed by President.
- Dec 18, 2025 Presented to President. · house
- Dec 15, 2025 Message on Senate action sent to the House. · senate
- Dec 11, 2025 Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8685) · senate
- Dec 11, 2025 Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 2, 2025 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 177. · senate
- Oct 2, 2025 Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 119-72. · senate
- Mar 5, 2025 Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. · senate
- Jan 23, 2025 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. · senate
- Jan 22, 2025 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. · house
- 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) · house
- 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 Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H285) · house
- 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. · house
- Jan 21, 2025 DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 165. · house
- Jan 21, 2025 Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H246-248) · house
- Jan 21, 2025 Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. · house
- Jan 3, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. · house
- Jan 3, 2025 Introduced in House
How your representatives voted
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Roll-call votes (1)
How the chamber voted on this bill — the outcome, the tally by party, and every member's recorded position. A factual record.
- On Motion to Suspend the Rules and PassPassed
416 Yea · 0 Nay · 17 Not voting
- Republicans36Yea0Nay1NV
- Democrats28Yea0Nay
The party tally and member list below cover the 65 of 433 positions we've recorded so far; the outcome above is the official chamber result.
See how each member voted (65)
Yea(64)
- Al Green
- August Pfluger
- Becca Balint
- Beth Van Duyne
- Bonnie Watson Coleman
- Brandon Gill
- Brendan F. Boyle
- Brian Babin
- Brian K. Fitzpatrick
- Chip Roy
- Chrissy Houlahan
- Christopher H. Smith
- Christopher R. Deluzio
- Craig A. Goldman
- Dan Crenshaw
- Daniel Meuser
- Donald Norcross
- Dwight Evans
- Frank Pallone
- Glenn Thompson
- Greg Casar
- Guy Reschenthaler
- Henry Cuellar
- Herbert C. Conaway
- Jake Ellzey
- Jasmine Crockett
- Jefferson Van Drew
- Joaquin Castro
- Jodey C. Arrington
- John Joyce
- John R. Carter
- Josh Gottheimer
- Julie Johnson
- Keith Self
- Lamonica Mciver
- Lance Gooden
- Lizzie Fletcher
- Lloyd Doggett
- Lloyd Smucker
- Madeleine Dean
- Marc A. Veasey
- Mary Gay Scanlon
- Michael Cloud
- Michael T. Mccaul
- Mike Kelly
- Monica De La Cruz
- Morgan Luttrell
- Nathaniel Moran
- Nellie Pou
- Pat Fallon
- Pete Sessions
- Randy K. Sr. Weber
- Robert Menendez
- Robert P. Bresnahan
- Ronny Jackson
- Ryan Mackenzie
- Scott Perry
- Summer L. Lee
- Sylvia R. Garcia
- Thomas H. Kean
- Troy E. Nehls
- Veronica Escobar
- Vicente Gonzalez
- Wesley Hunt
Not voting(1)
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Text versions (5)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
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.
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—
(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;
(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.
(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.
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.
(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.
(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.).
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate.
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