# 119-s-562: Rio San José and Rio Jemez Water Settlements Act of 2025

119-s-562, Rio San José and Rio Jemez Water Settlements Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-20).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-562
- As of: 2026-04-20
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-562
- Congress: 119
- Title: Rio San José and Rio Jemez Water Settlements Act of 2025
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-02-13
- Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Native Americans
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-20

## Summary

**This bill would settle and fund water-rights claims for four New Mexico Pueblos and create dedicated trust funds to implement those settlements.** It would ratify specific local settlement agreements for the Pueblos of Acoma, Laguna, Jemez, and Zia and authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry them out.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New Pueblo water trust funds: benefit, high. If enacted, this bill would create large Treasury-funded trust accounts for Acoma, Laguna, and the Acomita Reservoir. Treasury deposits would include $296 million to Acoma, $464 million to Laguna, plus separate $14 million and $26 million O&M accounts, $1.75 million and $3.25 million feasibility ac…
- Pueblo water rights and leasing: benefit, medium. If enacted, this bill would put the agreed Pueblo water rights in Federal trust and protect them from loss by non‑use, forfeiture, or abandonment. The Pueblos would be able to allocate, distribute, and lease those Pueblo water rights for use on Pueblo land. They could also lease water for use off P…
- State funding for local water: benefit, medium. If enacted, this bill would require New Mexico to provide specific funds for local water projects tied to the settlements. That includes about $23.5 million for Grants‑Milan projects, $12.0 million for acequia and offset projects, and $500,000 to mitigate some non‑Pueblo groundwater impacts. These…
- Federal funding depends on Congress: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would make Federal performance of obligations under the title depend on Congress providing explicit appropriations. The United States would not be liable for failing to carry out title obligations if Congress does not provide the needed appropriations.
- Settlement waivers, tolling, and expiry: mixed, high. If enacted, the Pueblos and the United States would execute broad waivers and releases of covered historic water claims in the stream systems, effective on the Enforceability Date. The bill would also pause (toll) certain claim deadlines from enactment until the Enforceability Date, but it would no…
- Pueblo reporting and court review: mixed, low. If enacted, each Pueblo would have to send an annual report to the Secretary showing withdrawals and accomplishments once they start spending trust funds. On the Enforceability Date, the United States and the Pueblos would allow limited judicial review in New Mexico courts of Pueblo Water Right Per…

## 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-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-s-562 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/562)

## 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-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)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-562 (as of 2026-04-20).