HR 2419 · 108th Congress 2003–2005, ended

Native American Sacred Lands Act

Introduced Jun 11, 2003 Originated House Sponsor Nick J. Rahall II D-WV

Latest action · Jun 11, 2003 Referred to the House Committee on Resources.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedJun 11, 2003
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Native American Sacred Lands Act - Requires managers of Federal land to: (1) accommodate meaningful access and use by Indian religious practitioners; (2) prevent significant damage to Indian sacred lands; and (3) consult with Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations before taking significant actions concerning such lands.

Prohibits undertakings likely to cause significant damage to Indian sacred lands.

Grants Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations the right to petition the department or agency with administrative jurisdiction to have Federal lands designated as unsuitable for certain undertakings. Permits appeals through the Federal agency appeals board or in U. S. district courts. Provides relief through monetary damages, injunctions, or mandamus.

Provides for the withdrawal of lands determined to be unsuitable. Requires Federal land use plans to be modified accordingly.

Protects the confidentiality of information in a petition as it pertains to traditional cultural practice, religion, or the significance and location of sacred land. Establishes criminal penalties for violations of such confidentiality.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make grants to assist Indian tribes in activities under this Act (including the acquisition or management of sacred lands deemed unsuitable for undertaking under this Act).

Authorizes the head of the department or agency with administrative jurisdiction over Federal sacred land to enter into cooperative agreements with tribes and take the land into trust for the benefit of the Indian tribe if the tribe manages the land to protect its sacredness.

Requires the Secretary to consult with Indian tribes in developing regulations.

Cosponsors 17

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 11, 2003 to Jun 26, 2003; 16 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
D-PR	Anibal Acevedo-Vila	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-CA	Barbara Lee	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-MN	Betty McCollum	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-CA	Bob Filner	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-OK	Brad Carson	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-MI	Dale E. Kildee	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-HI	Ed Case	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-NJ	Frank Pallone, Jr.	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-CA	George Miller	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-TX	Martin Frost	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-CA	Michael M. Honda	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-NY	Michael R. McNulty	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-AZ	Raúl M. Grijalva	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-WA	Rick Larsen	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-NJ	Rush Holt	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-NM	Tom Udall	Original	Jun 11, 2003
D-OR	Earl Blumenauer		Jun 26, 2003

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Natural Resources Committee	Referred Jun 11, 2003

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Jun 11, 2003Introduced in House
Jun 11, 2003Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1230-1231)
Jun 11, 2003Referred to the House Committee on Resources.

In the Congressional Record 1

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

Where	In the Record	Members	Date
Extensions	Debate and remarks E1230	Nick J. Rahall II D-WV	Jun 11, 2003

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

Number	Hearing	Committee	Held
S. Hrg. 108-197	NATIVE AMERICAN SACRED PLACES107 pages	Indian Affairs Committee	Jun 18, 2003

CRS reports 1

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 1

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

Product	Title	Kind	Published
R48452	Indigenous Sacred Sites: Overview and Issues for Congress	Report	Mar 14, 2025

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To protect sacred Native American Federal land from significant damage.
Short Titles as Introduced: Native American Sacred Lands Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Jun 11, 2003Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.