Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 177.
This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete all actions within 365 days so approximately 40 acres at Wounded Knee in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, are held in 'restricted fee status' by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. It defines restricted fee status (tribal ownership, part of Pine Ridge Reservation, tribal civil/criminal jurisdiction, no state/local taxation, congressional/tribal consent required for transfer), preserves existing encumbrances and utility agreements, makes the land subject to federal Indian country law, and bars its use for Indian Gaming Regulatory Act gaming per an October 21, 2022 covenant.
Progressives emphasize restoration of tribal sovereignty and cultural stewardship.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a narrowly focused substantive change that generally specifies the desired legal status for a small parcel and assigns the Department of the Interior a time-bound duty to effectuate that status.
This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete all actions within 365 days so approximately 40 acres at Wounded Knee in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, are held in 'restricted fee status' by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
It defines restricted fee status (tribal ownership, part of Pine Ridge Reservation, tribal civil/criminal jurisdiction, no state/local taxation, congressional/tribal consent required for transfer), preserves existing encumbrances and utility agreements, makes the land subject to federal Indian country law, and bars its use for Indian Gaming Regulatory Act gaming per an October 21, 2022 covenant.
Content is narrowly focused, low-cost, and includes compromise language, making enactment plausible but subject to local objections or procedural holds.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a narrowly focused substantive change that generally specifies the desired legal status for a small parcel and assigns the Department of the Interior a time-bound duty to effectuate that status. It integrates with relevant federal law and preserves existing encumbrances while restricting certain uses.
Progressives emphasize restoration of tribal sovereignty and cultural stewardship.
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Progressives emphasize restoration of tribal sovereignty and cultural stewardship.
Likely strongly supportive.
The bill returns a historically significant site to tribal control, reinforces tribal sovereignty, and protects a sacred memorial site.
It is viewed as a limited, symbolic act of restitution.
Generally supportive but pragmatic.
Views the bill as narrowly focused and administratively straightforward, while wanting clarity on legal descriptions, costs, and impacts on local services.
Seeks technical fixes, not ideological fights.
Cautiously skeptical.
While acknowledging the site's historical significance and the anti-gaming provision, this persona worries about expanding tribal jurisdiction and reducing state/local authority and tax base even on a small parcel.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Content is narrowly focused, low-cost, and includes compromise language, making enactment plausible but subject to local objections or procedural holds.
The House fast-tracked this bill — skipping normal debate — and it passed with a two-thirds majority. It now moves to the Senate.
Suspending the rules allows the House to bypass normal debate procedures and pass a bill immediately with a two-thirds vote.
Progressives emphasize restoration of tribal sovereignty and cultural stewardship.
Content is narrowly focused, low-cost, and includes compromise language, making enactment plausible but subject to local objections or proc…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a narrowly focused substantive change that generally specifies the desired legal status for a small parcel and assigns the Department of the Interior a time-bound…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.