New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes Historical or Traditional Use Cooperation and Coordination Act

This bill aims to help New Mexico’s community land grants and their heirs continue long‑standing, not‑for‑sale traditions on nearby federal lands. It would require closer coordination between federal land agencies and the New Mexico Land Grant Council, with clear rules for permits and fees, including a way to ask for fee reductions or waivers based on community finances. It would not change Tribal rights, state control over water and wildlife, or any existing rights, and it would not create a new right to use federal land.

Within two years of becoming law, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and the Interior must sign a statewide agreement with the New Mexico Land Grant Council. The agreement would explain which activities need permits, how to apply, what fees may be charged and how to ask for a reduction, when vehicles or equipment can be used, when non‑native materials are allowed, and how affected Tribes will be consulted; it would also explain how communities are notified about major land‑use decisions. It would allow routine upkeep like maintaining trails, roads, fences, wells, cemeteries, and community monuments, and can outline how to approve bigger projects like water or wastewater systems, new roads or fences, and major repairs. Agencies could also make project‑by‑project agreements with individual land grants, and land‑use plans would add a section that looks at how other uses affect these traditions. The agreement itself would not grant permission; people would still need the proper permits.

• Who is affected: Heirs and governing boards of qualified community land grants in New Mexico; the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and the Interior; and nearby Indian Tribes.
• What changes: A statewide agreement and optional project‑specific deals; clearer permit steps and fees; options to request fee reductions; simple rules for routine upkeep and a path for larger improvements; land‑use plans that consider these traditions.
• When: The first statewide agreement is due within two years of enactment, with renewals or updates after that.