# 119-hr-1444: Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025

119-hr-1444, Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1444
- As of: 2026-07-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-1444
- Congress: 119
- Title: Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-18
- Sponsor: Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Native Americans
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-25

## Summary

**Settles Zuni Tribe water rights and funds a trust to build and maintain water infrastructure.** This bill would ratify a comprehensive agreement to resolve water claims in the Zuni River system and set the rules and conditions for implementing that settlement.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] (D-NM), 2025-02-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2025-02-18T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Funding for Zuni water settlement: benefit, high. This bill would provide large, mandatory federal funding for the Zuni water settlement. The Treasury would transfer $655.5 million to a Settlement Trust Account and $29.5 million to an Operation, Maintenance, & Replacement Trust Account. Those amounts would be adjusted for construction cost changes…
- Stronger Tribal water rights and leasing: benefit, medium. The bill would make Tribal Water Rights in the Zuni River Stream System held in trust by the United States and protect them from loss by non-use, forfeiture, abandonment, or other operation of law. The Tribe would be able to allocate, distribute, and lease Tribal Water Rights for use on Zuni Lands,…
- Limits on U.S. liability without funding: cost, low. The bill would say the United States is not liable for failing to carry out settlement obligations when Congress does not expressly provide the needed appropriations. Liability protection would apply only when Congress has not provided adequate funding to perform duties under this title.
- Land protections and trust transfer timing: mixed, medium. The bill would withdraw about 92,364 acres around Zuni Salt Lake and the Sanctuary from mining, leasing, and public-land entry and have the BLM manage those lands with strict limits (vehicles only on designated routes, no new wells except emergency replacements, no increased grazing, no new timber…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5356: National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-10115: Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-1444 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1444)

## Related
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-5356: National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5356)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-10115: Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10115)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1444 (as of 2026-07-25).