Enacted
Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act
This bill places approximately 40 acres of the historic 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre site in South Dakota under the joint ownership and protection of the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes. The land becomes part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, making it exempt from state and local taxes and barring it from being sold without approval from both the tribes and Congress. Under a mutual tribal agreement recognized by the bill, the tribes can manage the site without federal interference, commercial casino gambling is prohibited, and existing utility easements remain intact.
People affected—The text names the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe but does not state population counts or number of individuals affected.
Fiscal magnitude—The bill does not authorize or appropriate any specific funds.
Reach16provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Native American affairs+32
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Oglala Sioux TribeGains restricted fee ownership (jointly with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe) over approximately 40 acres of the Wounded Knee Massacre site, placing the land within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation under the tribe's civil and criminal jurisdiction, exempt from state and local taxes, and free from Interior Department approval for uses under their 2022 covenant (Sec. 2(1), Sec. 3(a)(1)).
- Cheyenne River Sioux TribeGains restricted fee ownership (jointly with the Oglala Sioux Tribe) over approximately 40 acres of the Wounded Knee Massacre site, protected from state and local taxation and alienation without Congressional approval, and usable under their 2022 covenant without Interior Department approval (Sec. 2(1), Sec. 3(a)(1)).
- Holders of existing easements and utility agreements on the landExisting encumbrances, rights-of-way, restrictions, easements of record, and utility service agreements on the property are explicitly preserved and mandated to be assigned by the Secretary within 365 days (Sec. 3(a)(2), Sec. 3(b)(3)).
Who it burdens
- Department of the InteriorRequired within 365 days of enactment to complete all administrative actions, legal documentation, and survey corrections to place the land into restricted fee status, as well as assign existing utility and service agreements (Sec. 3(a)).
- State and local taxing authoritiesProhibited from taxing the approximately 40 acres of land once placed into restricted fee status (Sec. 2(1)(D)).
- Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux TribeRestricted from using the 40 acres for casino gambling or any other gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, restricted to uses allowed under their 2022 covenant, and barred from selling or transferring the land without the approval of Congress (Sec. 2(1)(C), Sec. 3(b)(1), Sec. 3(b)(2), Sec. 3(b)(4)).