Bill for preserving site of Wounded Knee massacre in South Dakota passes U.S. House

WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation to preserve the site of the Wounded Knee massacre has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives. Republican U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota introduced Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act in May. The bill passed the House by voice vote on Wednesday. The Senate is considering companion legislation. The leaders of the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes testified to support the bill. It would put federal protections on the land, about 40 acres in western South Dakota, which the tribes purchased last year to ensure the area is preserved as a sacred site. The U.S. Army massacred hundreds of Lakota people at the site in 1890.