H.R. 726 · Where this bill is now
Waiting for a House vote
Approved by committee Aug 27, 2026; no House vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryCrow Tribe water rights settlement amendments
This bill adjusts a 2010 agreement between the Crow Tribe of Montana and the state of Montana over water rights. It creates two new accounts to help fund water infrastructure projects on the Crow Reservation: one for rehabilitating the Crow Irrigation Project and another for the tribe's municipal, rural, and industrial water system. The bill also gives the Crow Tribe five more years to build hydropower facilities at a specific dam.
How it affects you
If you live on the Crow Reservation, these changes could affect your access to irrigation water and drinking water services as the tribe continues to improve its water systems. For people outside the reservation, this primarily concerns the Crow Tribe and their water and energy development plans, as the official summary does not describe broader effects on other communities.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Jan 24, 2025)
Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025
This bill revises the water rights settlement agreement entered into by the Crow Tribe of Montana and Montana.
The Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 ratified, authorized, and confirmed the water rights compact between the tribe and Montana. Among other provisions, this settlement act authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to plan, design and construct the following two major projects on the Crow Reservation: (1) the rehabilitation and improvement of the Crow Irrigation Project (CIP); and (2) the planning, design, and construction of the MR&I System (the municipal, rural, and industrial water system of the Crow Reservation).
Among other provisions, the bill revises the settlement act to
• replace references to the MR&I System with MR&I Projects ;
• establish a nontrust, interest-bearing account (to be known as the Crow CIP Implementation Account) to allow Reclamation to continue to work on the rehabilitation of the CIP;
• create a new MR&I Projects Account, through which the tribe must use funds for activities related to water production, treatment, or delivery infrastructure; and
• extend by five years (to 2030) the period during which the tribe has the exclusive right to construct hydropower facilities on the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam in Montana.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 726
A BILL
Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Troy Downing (R-MT-2) · Introduced Jan 24, 2025 · Native Americans · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Aug 27, 2026: “Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 670.”