S4998-118

Reported

To approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Navajo Nation in the Rio San José Stream System in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.

118th Congress Introduced Sep 9, 2024

At a Glance

Read full bill text

Legislative Progress

Reported
Introduced Committee Passed
Dec 4, 2024

Reported by Mr. Schatz, without amendment

Dec 4, 2024

Reported by Mr. Schatz, without amendment

Dec 4, 2024

Reported by Mr. Schatz, without amendment

Dec 4, 2024

Reported by Mr. Schatz, without amendment

Dec 4, 2024

Reported by Mr. Schatz, without amendment

Dec 4, 2024

Reported by Mr. Schatz, without amendment

Dec 4, 2024

Reported by Mr. Schatz, without amendment

Dec 4, 2024

Reported by Mr. Schatz, without amendment

Dec 4, 2024

Reported by Mr. Schatz, without amendment

Dec 4, 2024

Reported by Mr. Schatz, without amendment

Summary

What This Bill Does

Achieves final settlement of Navajo Nation water rights claims in the Rio San Jose general stream adjudication in New Mexico, authorizing the Secretary to execute the settlement agreement and appropriating implementation funds.

Who Benefits and How

Navajo Nation receives settled water rights ending decades of litigation. Acequia water users gain certainty through settlement participation. New Mexico achieves resolution of complex water claims.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Federal government funds settlement implementation as trustee. United States executes agreement on Navajo Nation's behalf. Other water users accept settlement allocations.

Key Provisions

  • Settles claims in Kerr-McGee consolidated adjudication
  • Ratifies agreement with Navajo Nation, State, and other parties
  • Authorizes Secretary to execute agreement
  • Includes multiple acequia organizations in settlement
Model: claude-opus-4
Generated: Jan 10, 2026 18:18

Evidence Chain:

This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.

Primary Purpose

Settles Navajo Nation water rights claims in New Mexico Rio San Jose Stream System

Policy Domains

Tribal Affairs Water Rights Natural Resources Federal-Tribal Relations

Legislative Strategy

"Resolve Navajo water rights through negotiated settlement"

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Tribal Affairs Water Rights
Actor Mappings
"the_secretary"
→ Secretary of the Interior

Key Definitions

Terms defined in this bill

2 terms
"Acequia" §3

Each of Bluewater Toltec Irrigation District, La Acequia Madre del Ojo del Gallo, and other named irrigation associations

"Adjudication" §3b

The general adjudication State of New Mexico ex rel. State Engineer v. Kerr-McGee et al.

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology