This is not an official government website.
© 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Congressional Daily Record
This section focuses on legislation moving through Congress. It mentions committees such as Committee on Indian Affairs, members such as Alejandro Padilla.
Issued
April 28, 2026
senate side of the record
People
1
Linked members mentioned in this section
Legislation
0
No linked legislation in this section
Committees
1
Committees connected to this section
Senate Holds
0
No hold activity linked here
Source Document
Connected Data
People mentioned
Committees
Source Control
Reader mode is for comprehension. The linked government PDF is the official published source.
Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextBy Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mr. Schiff):
S. 4417. A bill to amend the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Water Rights Settlement Act to make technical corrections, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill to amend the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Water Rights Settlement Act to make technical corrections to incorporate additional land taken into trust and address water contaminants found since the agreement was ratified.
ancestors have been living in the Temecula Valley for over 10,000 years. After being forced out of their ancestral home, Temeeku, in 1875, the Tribe rebuilt and reestablished their homes nearby, which later became the federally recognized Pechanga Indian Reservation in 1882.
water users to develop agreements on water rights and to protect the long-term water supply and sustainability of the Santa Margarita River Watershed, including the groundwater in the Wolf Valley Aquifer.
Water District, Eastern Municipal Water District, Metropolitan Water District, and the United States, which was ratified as part of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, WIIN, Act in 2016 and was made fully enforceable in 2020. This agreement clarified the Tribe's water rights and established mutual cooperative water management agreements with the local water agencies. The agreement also established a water quality fund for addressing salinity caused by the use of recycled and imported water.
land that was held in trust at the time of the settlement's ratification. The water quality fund is also currently restricted only to desalination activities.
This bill would update the agreement's definition of “Reservation” to allow the Tribe to use their water rights on any current and future trust lands. The bill would also expand the possible uses of the water quality fund to include any water quality improvement activities, such as addressing PFAS and other emerging contaminants.
Representative Darrell Issa for introducing companion legislation in the House. I urge my colleagues to support this technical fix that would preserve Pechanga's sovereignty over their water rights.