S. 640 · Where this bill is now
In the House
Passed the Senate Dec 11, 2025. Received Dec 15, 2025; no House vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryAllows interest in water settlement funds
Three water rights settlement agreements made in 2009 and 2010 set up special funds for the Navajo Nation, Taos Pueblo, and several other pueblos in New Mexico, but those agreements didn't allow interest to accrue in the funds. This bill changes that by authorizing deposits of unpaid interest into those three funds.
How it affects you
This primarily affects the Navajo Nation, Taos Pueblo, and other pueblos involved in these water rights settlements in New Mexico. For them, it means their settlement funds can now receive accumulated interest payments that were previously not allowed, potentially increasing resources available for their water development projects.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Feb 19, 2025)
Technical Corrections to the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act, Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, and Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act
This bill authorizes deposits representing unpaid interest into the Navajo Nation Water Resources Development Trust Fund, the Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund, and the Aamodt Settlement Pueblos’ Fund. These funds were established in 2009 and 2010 under certain water rights settlement agreements that did not allow accrual of interest.
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 SessionS. 640
AN ACT
Technical Corrections to the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act, Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, and Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act
Sponsor: Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) · Introduced Feb 19, 2025 · Native Americans · 3 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Dec 15, 2025: “Held at the desk.”