Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act

This bill protects the Wounded Knee Massacre site by placing about 40 acres on the Pine Ridge Reservation into a special protected status for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. In this “restricted fee” status, the land is owned by the tribes but is protected by federal limits on selling, transferring, or burdening the land with things like liens or new rights-of-way.

The land must be kept as a memorial and sacred site under a 2022 covenant between the two tribes. It cannot be used for commercial development or for gaming. Existing utility lines, easements, and similar agreements on the land stay in place, and federal laws that apply to Indian country will apply here. The Department of the Interior has up to 365 days after the bill becomes law to finish all the steps to put the land into this status.

• Who is affected: Oglala Sioux Tribe; Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe; Department of the Interior; local utilities already serving the area.
• What changes: About 40 acres at Wounded Knee will be held in restricted fee status, kept as a memorial and sacred site, with no commercial development or gaming; existing easements and service agreements remain.
• When: The Interior Department must complete the process within 365 days after enactment.