WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act

Bill: 119-hr-635
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1]
Introduced: 2025-01-22
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Federal-Indian relations

Indian lands and resources rights

Water resources funding

Water use and supply
Latest action: action_date: 2025-01-22
text: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-22
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act</strong></p><p>This bill allows the Department of the Interior to reduce or waive the nonfederal cost share of certain grants and agreements for assisting Indian tribes in planning, designing, or constructing any water management improvement or carrying out any water-related activity if Interior determines that paying the cost share would result in a financial hardship for the tribe.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 635 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 22, 2025 Ms. Stansbury (for herself, Mr. Huffman , Ms. Norton , Mr. Costa , Mr. Horsford , Ms. Davids of Kansas , Ms. Leger Fernandez , and Mr. Neguse ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to increase Tribal access to water conservation and efficiency grants, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act . 2. Water management improvement Section 9504(a)(3)(E)(i) of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 ( 42 U.S.C. 10364(a)(3)(E)(i) ) is amended— (1) in subclause (I), by striking subclause (II) and inserting subclauses (II) and (III) ; and (2) after subclause (II), by inserting the following: (III) Waiver; reduction With respect to a grant or other agreement entered into under paragraph (1) between the Secretary and an Indian Tribe, the Secretary may reduce or waive the non-Federal share (and increase the Federal share accordingly) of the cost of any infrastructure improvement or activity that is the subject of that grant or other agreement if the Secretary determines that contribution of the non-Federal share would result in a financial hardship for the Indian Tribe. .