Congress·Reported·S. 105

Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act

Protecting the Wounded Knee Massacre Site

Oct 2, 2025·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: The SenateNo action in 9 months

This bill has been approved by the Senate committee and is now waiting for a vote by the full Senate. It is currently placed on the legislative calendar and is actively moving forward. There are no other scheduled actions at this time.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Likely to pass

This bill has strong support from both South Dakota senators and has already cleared the committee stage without any changes. It deals with a non-controversial land transfer for historical preservation.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from S. 2088 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
S. 2088 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill protects about 40 acres of land where the Wounded Knee Massacre happened in 1890. It moves the land into a special status that ensures the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes own and control it forever as a sacred memorial site.
The land will become part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This means the Oglala Sioux Tribe will have the power to enforce its own laws on the property, and the land cannot be sold or taken away without permission from both Congress and the tribes.
Under this plan, state and local governments cannot charge taxes on the land. Also, the tribes will not need to ask the federal government for permission every time they want to use the land for activities allowed under their existing agreements.
To respect the history of the site, the bill strictly bans any gambling or casino activities on this specific land. It also ensures that any current utility lines or existing agreements for the property stay in place.
If this bill becomes law, the Department of the Interior has one year to finish all the paperwork and legal steps to officially change the status of the land.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

4 milestones5 actions

Oct 2, 2025Senate

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 176.

The bill is now on the schedule for the full chamber to consider. It's in line for debate and a vote.

Oct 2, 2025Senate

Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 119-71.

The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.

Mar 5, 2025Senate

Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.

Jan 15, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Jan 15, 2025

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act

Bill NumberS 105

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionPlaced on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 176.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)

R: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.