I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1324 
To approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Navajo Nation 
in the Rio San Jose´ Stream System in the State of New Mexico, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 13, 2025 
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ (for herself and Ms. STANSBURY) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To approve the settlement of water rights claims of the 
Navajo Nation in the Rio San Jose´ Stream System in 
the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Navajo Nation Rio San Jose´ Stream System Water 
Rights Settlement Act of 2025’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Purposes. 
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Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Ratification of Agreement. 
Sec. 5. Navajo Nation’s Water Rights. 
Sec. 6. Navajo Nation Rio San Jose´ Settlement Trust Fund. 
Sec. 7. Funding. 
Sec. 8. Enforceability Date. 
Sec. 9. Waivers and releases of claims. 
Sec. 10. Satisfaction of claims. 
Sec. 11. Consent of United States to jurisdiction for judicial review of a Navajo 
Nation Water Use Permit decision. 
Sec. 12. Miscellaneous provisions. 
Sec. 13. Relation to Allottees. 
Sec. 14. Expansion of Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project service area. 
Sec. 15. Antideficiency. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to achieve a fair, equitable, and final settle-
ment of all claims to water rights in the general 
stream adjudication of the Rio San Jose´ Stream 
System captioned ‘‘State of New Mexico, ex rel. 
State Engineer v. Kerr-McGee, et al.’’, No. D–1333– 
CV–1983–00190 and No. D–1333–CV–1983–00220 
(consolidated), pending in the Thirteenth Judicial 
District Court for the State of New Mexico, for— 
(A) the Navajo Nation; and 
(B) the United States, acting as trustee 
for the Navajo Nation; 
(2) to authorize, ratify, and confirm the agree-
ment entered into by the Navajo Nation, the State, 
and various other parties to the Agreement, to the 
extent that the Agreement is consistent with this 
Act; 
(3) to authorize and direct the Secretary— 
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(A) to execute the Agreement; and 
(B) to take any other actions necessary to 
carry out the Agreement in accordance with 
this Act; and 
(4) to authorize funds necessary for the imple-
mentation of the Agreement and this Act. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ACEQUIA.—The term ‘‘Acequia’’ means 
each of the Bluewater Toltec Irrigation District, La 
Acequia Madre del Ojo del Gallo, Moquino Water 
Users Association II, Murray Acres Irrigation Asso-
ciation, San Mateo Irrigation Association, Seboyeta 
Community Irrigation Association, Cubero Acequia 
Association, Cebolletita Acequia Association, and 
Community Ditch of Rio San Jose´ de la Cienega. 
(2) ADJUDICATION.—The term ‘‘Adjudication’’ 
means the general adjudication of water rights enti-
tled ‘‘State of New Mexico, ex rel. State Engineer v. 
Kerr-McGee, et al.’’ , No. D–1333–CV–1983–00190 
and No. D–1333–CV–1983–00220 (consolidated) 
pending, as of the date of enactment of this Act, in 
the Decree Court. 
(3) 
AGREEMENT.—The 
term 
‘‘Agreement’’ 
means— 
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(A) the addendum dated June 11, 2024, 
to, and as provided in Article 17 of, the docu-
ment entitled ‘‘Rio San Jose´ Stream System 
Water Rights Local Settlement Agreement 
Among the Pueblo of Acoma, the Pueblo of La-
guna, the Navajo Nation, the State of New 
Mexico, the City of Grants, the Village of 
Milan, the Association of Community Ditches of 
the Rio San Jose´ and Nine Individual Acequias 
and Community Ditches’’ and dated May 13, 
2022, and the attachments thereto and to the 
addendum; and 
(B) any amendment to the documents re-
ferred to in subparagraph (A) (including an 
amendment to an attachment) that is executed 
to ensure that the Agreement is consistent with 
this Act. 
(4) 
ALLOTMENT.—The 
term 
‘‘Allotment’’ 
means a parcel of land that is— 
(A) located within— 
(i) the Rio Puerco Basin; or 
(ii) the Rio San Jose´ Stream System; 
and 
(B) held in trust by the United States for 
the benefit of— 
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(i) 1 or more individual Indians; or 
(ii) an Indian Tribe holding an undi-
vided fractional beneficial interest. 
(5) ALLOTTEE.—The term ‘‘Allottee’’ means— 
(A) an individual Indian holding a bene-
ficial interest in an Allotment; or 
(B) an Indian Tribe holding an undivided 
fractional beneficial interest in an Allotment. 
(6) 
DECREE
COURT.—The 
term 
‘‘Decree 
Court’’ means the Thirteenth Judicial District Court 
of the State of New Mexico. 
(7) ENFORCEABILITY DATE.—The term ‘‘En-
forceability Date’’ means the date described in sec-
tion 8. 
(8) NAVAJO NATION; NAVAJO; NATION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The terms ‘‘Navajo 
Nation’’, ‘‘Navajo’’, and ‘‘Nation’’ mean the 
body politic and federally recognized Indian na-
tion, as published on the list required under 
section 104(a) of the Federally Recognized In-
dian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 
5131(a)), also known variously as the ‘‘Navajo 
Nation of Arizona, New Mexico, & Utah’’, and 
the ‘‘Navajo Nation of Indians’’ and other simi-
lar names. 
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(B) INCLUSIONS.—The terms ‘‘Navajo Na-
tion’’, ‘‘Navajo’’, and ‘‘Nation’’ include all 
bands of Navajo Indians and chapters of the 
Navajo Nation and all divisions, agencies, offi-
cers, and agents thereof. 
(9) NAVAJO NATION LANDS; NAVAJO LANDS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The terms ‘‘Navajo 
Nation Lands’’ and ‘‘Navajo Lands’’ mean any 
real property— 
(i) in the Rio San Jose´ Stream Sys-
tem that is held by the United States in 
trust for the Navajo Nation, or owned by 
the Navajo Nation, as of the Enforceability 
Date; or 
(ii) in the Rio Puerco Basin that is 
held by the United States in trust for the 
Navajo Nation, or owned by the Navajo 
Nation, as of the Enforceability Date. 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The terms ‘‘Navajo Na-
tion Lands’’ and ‘‘Navajo Lands’’ include land 
placed in trust with the United States subse-
quent to the Enforceability Date for the Navajo 
Nation in the Rio San Jose´ Stream System and 
in the Rio Puerco Basin. 
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(C) EXCLUSION.—The terms ‘‘Navajo Na-
tion Lands’’ and ‘‘Navajo Lands’’ do not in-
clude Allotments. 
(10) NAVAJO NATION WATER CODE.—The term 
‘‘Navajo Nation Water Code’’ means the water code 
enacted in 1984 by the Navajo Nation Council 
through Resolution CAU–34–84. (22 N.N.C. 1101 
et seq.). 
(11) NAVAJO NATION WATER USE PERMIT.— 
The term ‘‘Navajo Nation Water Use Permit’’ 
means a document specifying terms and conditions 
for diversion and use of water on Navajo Nation 
Lands issued by the Navajo Nation within the scope 
of its authority under the Navajo Nation Water 
Code and the Settlement Agreement. 
(12) NAVAJO NATION’S WATER RIGHTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Navajo Na-
tion’s Water Rights’’ means— 
(i) the water rights of the Navajo Na-
tion in the Rio San Jose´ Stream System— 
(I) as identified in the Agreement 
and section 5; and 
(II) as confirmed in the Navajo 
Partial Final Judgment and Decree; 
and 
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(ii) the water rights of the Navajo Na-
tion in the Rio Puerco Basin, as identified 
in the Agreement and section 5. 
(B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘Navajo Na-
tion’s Water Rights’’ does not include— 
(i) any interest that the Nation may 
have in an Allotment that is determined by 
the Secretary to be patented pursuant to 
section 1 of the Act of February 8, 1887 
(commonly known as the ‘‘Indian General 
Allotment Act’’) (24 Stat. 388, chapter 
119; 25 U.S.C. 331) (as in effect on the 
day before the date of enactment of the In-
dian Land Consolidation Act Amendments 
of 2000 (Public Law 106–462; 114 Stat. 
1991)); or 
(ii) any undivided interest that the 
Nation may have in an Allotment that is 
determined by the Secretary to be patented 
pursuant to an authority other than sec-
tion 1 of the Act of February 8, 1887 
(commonly known as the ‘‘Indian General 
Allotment Act’’) (24 Stat. 388, chapter 
119; 25 U.S.C. 331) (as in effect on the 
day before the date of enactment of the In-
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(1) any water use existing on an Allotment as 
of the date of enactment of this Act; 
(2) reasonable domestic, stock, and irrigation 
water uses on an Allotment; and 
(3) any water right decreed to the United 
States in trust for an Allottee in a general stream 
adjudication, including the Adjudication, for use on 
an Allotment. 
(g) AUTHORITY OF THE NAVAJO NATION.— 
(1) USE ON NAVAJO LANDS.—The Navajo Na-
tion shall have the authority to allocate, distribute, 
and lease the Navajo Nation’s Water Rights for use 
on Navajo Lands in accordance with the Agreement, 
this Act, and applicable Federal law, including the 
first section of the Act of August 9, 1955 (69 Stat. 
539, chapter 615; 25 U.S.C. 415) (commonly known 
as the ‘‘Long-Term Leasing Act’’). 
(2) USE OFF NAVAJO LANDS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Navajo Nation 
may allocate, distribute, and lease the Navajo 
Nation’s Water Rights for use off Navajo 
Lands in accordance with the Agreement, this 
Act, and applicable Federal law, subject to the 
approval of the Secretary. 
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