# 119-s-565: Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025 119-s-565, Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlement 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-565 - 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-565 - Congress: 119 - Title: Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlement 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 **Settles the Navajo Nation’s water rights in the Rio San José Stream System** and creates a federally managed trust to fund water infrastructure, operations, and water-rights administration. The bill ratifies a detailed settlement agreement and sets rules for how those rights are held and used. - Navajo Nation: Recognized settlement rights will be held in trust by the United States, protected from forfeiture, and the Nation gains authority to allocate, distribute, and lease water rights off Navajo lands for up to 99 years with Interior approval. - Allottees and individual landholders: Allotment water rights are preserved and adjudicated separately, and the Navajo Nation generally will not oppose quantifying reasonable domestic, stock, or irrigation uses on Allotments. - Local communities and infrastructure: The bill establishes a Navajo Nation Rio San José Water Rights Settlement Trust Fund with two accounts and authorizes expansion of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project to serve Rio San José Basin communities with Reclamation coordination. *The bill requires federal appropriations of about $200.3 million to the Navajo Nation Water Rights Settlement Account and $23 million to the Navajo Nation Operations and Maintenance Account.* ## Cosponsors (1) - Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-02-13T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Large settlement fund and immediate water money: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would create a Navajo Nation water settlement trust fund. The Treasury would transfer $200,271,000 to a Settlement Account and $23,000,000 to an Operations and Maintenance Account (total $223,271,000). Up to $15,000,000 of the Settlement Account, including earnings, would be av… - Expand Navajo-Gallup water project service: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would authorize expanding the Navajo‑Gallup Water Supply Project to serve Rio San Jose Basin communities on Navajo lands. If Reclamation still owns Project facilities, the Nation must get written approval from the Commissioner for final designs. Construction of connections must… - Water rights held in trust and leasing: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would place the Navajo Nation's settlement water rights in Federal trust. The rights could not be permanently sold and would not be lost for non-use. The Navajo Nation could allocate and lease water off Navajo Lands for up to 99 years, but leases off Navajo Lands would need Sec… - When the settlement becomes final: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would make the settlement enforceable only when the Secretary publishes six required findings in the Federal Register. Those findings include payment of the federal funds, a state funding step, and a court decree. Limitation periods for some claims would stop running from enact… - Who signs, who pays, and federal liability: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would let the Secretary execute and implement the Agreement so long as it does not conflict with the Act. The Navajo Nation would prepare required environmental documents and pay most compliance costs from the Navajo Trust Fund, while the Secretary would handle Federal approval… - Limited state-court review of permits: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would allow limited judicial review in New Mexico courts of Navajo Nation Water Use Permit decisions, but only with Navajo consent. Review would be on the administrative record and under strict standards. State courts must respect the Navajo Water Code and can ask the Navajo Na… - Waivers and reserved claims in settlement: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would require broad waivers by the Navajo Nation and the United States of past Rio San Jose water claims in exchange for the settlement benefits. The bill would also preserve important rights and claims, like environmental claims under CERCLA, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Clean… ## 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-565 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/565) ## 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-565 (as of 2026-04-20).