Sponsors (2)
The bill provides multiyear, predictable funding and administrative flexibility to accelerate and sustain tribal water-rights settlements and preserves customs funding and fee predictability, but it increases federal spending, concentrates implementation discretion that could reduce transparency, and extends fee authorities that prolong cost exposure and postpone Congressional review.
Indigenous and tribal communities (tribal lands residents and tribal governments) receive stable, dedicated funding — $250M per year plus $45M per year for operations & maintenance from 2026–2035 — to implement and complete Indian water rights settlements and sustain completed projects.
Tribes gain improved ability to complete settlements and manage trust funds because the bill lets the Interior Secretary transfer and index funds and makes deposited amounts available without additional annual appropriations or fiscal-year limits.
Customs and Treasury retain authority to collect user fees through September 30, 2035, preserving funding for customs operations and border-processing activities that support federal employees and trade processing.
Federal outlays rise by about $295M per year (2026–2035) to fund the deposits, increasing federal spending that could crowd out other priorities or require trade-offs in Treasury-funded programs.
Concentrating discretion with the Secretary of the Interior over sequencing, timing, and amounts for settlements can reduce transparency and accountability and could delay some settlements if priorities or administration choices shift.
Prohibiting use of certain Reclamation Water Settlements Fund amounts for White Mountain Apache obligations may shift funding burdens or add administrative complexity for that tribe and related programs.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Establishes two Treasury-funded subaccounts to provide annual deposits for Indian water settlement implementation and operations and extends two user-fee expiration dates to Sept 30, 2035.
Creates two permanent Treasury-funded subaccounts to ensure ongoing operations, maintenance, repair, and implementation funding for certain Indian water rights settlements and for any future settlements approved by Congress, with annual deposits from Oct 1, 2026 through Oct 1, 2035. Also amends a 2010 White Mountain Apache statute to clarify a prohibition on using the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund for specified amounts, and extends two user-fee expiration dates in 19 U.S.C. §58c(j)(3) from December 31, 2031 to September 30, 2035.
Official title: Amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to establish subaccounts in the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 10, 2026 by Ben Ray Luján · Last progress June 10, 2026