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Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act

Public Law 115-175 · S. 35 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on May 25, 2018 · Public Lands and Natural Resources

Sponsor: Sen. John Thune (R-SD)

Cosponsors (2): Sen. Mike Rounds,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 407 yea, 0 nay407–0
  • SenateVoice vote
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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

(Sec. 3) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) complete environmental, cultural resource, and other due diligence activities on certain federal land to confirm its suitability for inclusion in the Black Hills National Cemetery, South Dakota; and (2) notify, and coordinate with, the Department of the Interior regarding such activities.

After completion of such activities and upon receipt by Interior of written confirmation of suitability from the VA, the land shall: (1) be withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws, the mineral leasing laws, and the geothermal leasing laws, for as long as it remains under VA administrative jurisdiction; (2) be treated as property; and (3) be transferred, except for the land within 100 feet of the center of the Centennial Trail, from Interior to the VA for use as a national cemetery.

Interior shall publish a notice containing the legal descriptions of such transferred land.

The VA shall reimburse Interior for reasonable transfer costs, including survey costs.

The cemetery's boundary is modified to include such federal land.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 115th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 407 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

407 yea0 nay20 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(184)

Republicans who voted yea(223)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 894 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

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.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • S. 2414Related bill

    Elko National Cemetery Act

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 26 actions.

  1. May 25, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-175.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. May 21, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. May 16, 2018FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 407 - 0 (Roll no. 187).House roll call 187
  6. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business. (CR H4008)
  7. May 15, 2018FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  8. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 35.
  9. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  10. FloorFloor · Mr. Bishop (UT) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  11. Apr 10, 2018CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 479.
  12. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged.
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 115-626, Part I.
  14. Mar 14, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  16. Mar 7, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
  18. Dec 22, 2017FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  19. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  20. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  21. Dec 21, 2017FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
  22. May 3, 2017CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 49.
  23. CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Murkowski with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 115-35.
  24. Mar 30, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
  25. Jan 5, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  26. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
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.

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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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.