U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) on Feb. 4 proposed legislation that would remove the statute of limitations for non-capital homicide crimes committed on federal and tribal lands.
Kamisha’s Law, H.R. 7364, is a companion bill to the identical S. 2624 sponsored in July 2025 by U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) honoring Kamisha Nyvold, a toddler who was murdered in Sisseton, S.D., in 1992.
Thirty years after the crime, new information led to the prosecution of the murderer, however, the five-year statute of limitations had passed and prosecutors couldn’t charge the defendant with second-degree murder.
“This is a much overdue reform for families like Kamisha’s,” Rep. Johnson said. “It’s unfortunate that Kamisha’s killer will only spend ten years behind bars.”
If enacted, Kamisha’s Law would eliminate the statute of limitations for non-capital homicide offenses on federal and tribal lands for several crimes, including second-degree murder; voluntary/attempted manslaughter; second-degree murder, voluntary/attempted manslaughter of U.S. government officers and employees engaged in official duties, and those assisting; and second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter by escaped federal prisoners serving life sentences, among others.
“Prosecution for murder should not have an expiration date,” Sen. Rounds said on Feb. 4. “I appreciate Kamisha’s mother Christine and her husband Roger for working with my team on this legislation, and I appreciate Rep. Johnson agreeing to carry companion legislation in the House. I look forward to working with my colleagues to honor Kamisha’s memory and get it across the finish line.”