Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Trust Act of 2005
Public Law 109-45 · H.R. 481 · 109th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Aug 2, 2005 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO-4)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Tom Cole
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Trust Act of 2005 - Authorizes the United States to take into trust specified real property formerly known as Dawson Ranch, including rights to all minerals and excluding improvements, in Kiowa County, Colorado, owned by the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Tribes of Oklahoma.
Directs the Tribes to convey title to the Dawson Ranch to the United States.
Declares that all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the Ranch except any facilities constructed pursuant to this Act, are to be held in trust by the United States for the Tribes.
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire by donation the improvements in fee. Permits the Secretary to construct a facility on the Ranch only after consulting with, soliciting advice from, and obtaining the agreement of, the Tribe, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, and the Northern Arapaho Tribe. States that: (1) facilities constructed with federal funds or funds donated to the United States shall be owned in fee by the United States; and (2) for purposes of the construction, maintenance, or demolition of improvements or facilities, federal funds shall be expended only on improvements or facilities that are owned in fee by the United States.
Requires the Ranch to be administered in perpetuity by the Secretary as part of the Site only for historical, traditional, cultural, and other uses in accordance with the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2000. Requires that, for purposes of administration, the Secretary shall have access to the Ranch, improvements, and facilities as necessary for the management of the Site in accordance with the Act. Instructs the Secretary to take such action as is necessary to ensure that the Ranch is used only in accordance with all such requirements for the administration of the Ranch.
Amends the Act to allow the Secretary to acquire land and interests in land within the boundaries of the Site which are owned by the state of Colorado (including a political subdivision of that state) only by donation or exchange (currently, only by donation).
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Natural Resources Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Federal Lands Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 57Related bill
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Trust Act of 2005
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 23 actions.
- Aug 2, 2005Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-45.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jul 27, 2005FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Jul 26, 2005FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Jun 28, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Jun 27, 2005FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 481.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Fortuno moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jun 8, 2005CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 59.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Resources. H. Rept. 109-107.
- May 18, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on National Parks Discharged.
- Apr 14, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Federal Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Feb 10, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks.
- Feb 1, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.