# 119-s-4731: Protecting Indian Water Rights Settlements Act of 2026

119-s-4731, Protecting Indian Water Rights Settlements Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-16).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4731
- As of: 2026-07-16
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4731
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting Indian Water Rights Settlements Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-10
- Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Native Americans
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-16

## Summary

**Creates dedicated, multi-year funding streams for Indian water rights settlements.** The bill would add two subaccounts to the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund to direct predictable deposits and allow multi-year transfers to finish specified tribal settlements. It would also extend certain Customs user fees to September 30, 2035. - Tribal communities: The bill would establish an Operations, Maintenance, Repair, and Ongoing Obligations subaccount and a New and Continuing Settlements subaccount to support specific settlements named in federal law. It would require deposits of $45.0 million and $250.0 million respectively on the later of October 1, 2026 (or enactment) and each October 1 through October 1, 2035. - Interior Department and settlements: The Secretary of the Interior would be able to transfer funds from these subaccounts without further appropriation or fiscal year limits and choose the timing and sequence of transfers to complete eligible settlements. - Federal funding window: By extending certain Customs user fee sunsets from December 31, 2031 to September 30, 2035, the bill lengthens the period during which fee revenue can support federal capacity to fund and finalize Indian water rights settlements.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-06-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More funding to finish tribal water settlements: benefit, high. This bill would create two new subaccounts inside the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund. It would require the Treasury to deposit $250 million each October 1 from the later of October 1, 2026 or enactment through October 1, 2035 into a New and Continuing Settlements Subaccount. It woul…
- Customs user fees extend to 2035: cost, low. This bill would extend the statutory sunset dates for certain Customs user fee authorities from December 31, 2031 to September 30, 2035. If enacted, importers, customs brokers, carriers, and businesses that pay those fees would continue to pay them through September 30, 2035. The bill does not chan…
- Limits on one settlement funding source: cost, low. This bill would amend the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act to prohibit using the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund for amounts made available under paragraph (2)(B). If enacted, agencies could not draw those specific payments from that Reclamation fund. The restriction w…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4731 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4731)

## Related
- [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4731 (as of 2026-07-16).