An Act to authorize the Sisseton and Wahpeton Sioux Tribe of the Lake Traverse Reservation to consolidate its landholdings in North Dakota and South Dakota, and for other purposes.
Public Law 93-491 · S. 1411 · 93rd Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Oct 26, 1974 · Native Americans
Sponsor: Sen. George McGovern (D-SD)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. James Abourezk
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
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.
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, at his discretion and upon the request of the Sisseton and Wahpeton Sioux Tribe of the Lake Traverse Reservation or its delegated designated agent in the States of North Dakota and South Dakota, to acquire through purchase, gift, or exchange any lands or interest in lands within the boundaries of the Lake Traverse Reservation in North Dakota and South Dakota for the purpose of consolidating landholdings, eliminating fractional heirship interests in Indian trust lands, providing land for any tribal program for the improvement of the economy of the tribe and its members through the development of industry, recreational facilities, housing projects, and the general rehabilitation and enhancement of the total resource potential of the reservation.
Authorizes the tribe with the approval of the Secretary to sell or exchange any tribal real property not needed or suitable for use by the tribe or so situated or located that it would be to the economic advantage of the tribe to sell or exchange the property.
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 10 actions.
- Oct 26, 1974Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 93-491.
- Oct 17, 1974PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Oct 11, 1974Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment.
- Oct 7, 1974FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H.R. 8230.
- May 14, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- May 13, 1974FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- May 9, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Mar 28, 1973CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.