# H.R. 165 (119th): Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act This act directs the Department of the Interior to complete all actions necessary to place approximately 40 acres of land in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, into restricted fee status for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act This act directs the Department of the Interior to complete all actions necessary to place approximately 40 acres of land in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, into restricted fee status for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Restricted fee status refers to land that is owned by a tribe or tribal member but is subject to restrictions by the United States against alienation (i.e., sale or transfer) or encumbrance (e.g., liens, leases, or rights-of-way) by operation of law. The act requires the land to be held and maintained as a memorial and sacred site, as outlined by the document titled Covenant Between the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and dated October 21, 2022. Further, it prohibits commercial development and gaming activity on the land.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: heritage. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: justice. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: justice_for_historic_wrongs. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: land_restoration. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: memorial. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: sacred_sites. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: tribal_sovereignty. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: good. A yea supports the bill. A nay is the penalized direction when the tag is scored as a protection. A yea on a credit tag is a credit.
Roll 22: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The bill restrains commercial exploitation of a memorial site, protects it from alienation, and secures land for the tribes connected to a historic wrong, which defends justice and honors the dead. The text is specific and operative, so a high-level good classification is prudent.
Theological note: The measure concerns the protection of a site that memorializes a massacre of Lakota people, the honoring of the dead, and the preservation of sacred ground from commercial exploitation. Scripture's concern for justice toward the wronged, for truthful remembrance of the dead, and for not profaning what is set apart is relevant here. This is an issue-relevance note, not a final candidate judgment.

## Recorded votes

Roll 22: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass. Yea 416 · Nay 0 · Other 17.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-165-119/