12.21.22

Chair Grijalva Applauds House Passage of Bill to Honor Late Rep. Young, Expected Passage of Five Tribal Bills, All to be Signed into Law

Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on bipartisan House passage of the Don Young Recognition Act (S. 5066; Murkowski) and expected bipartisan House passage of five other Natural Resources tribal bills under suspension of the rules. Having already passed the Senate, all six bills will soon advance to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

On the bills’ expected passage, Chair Grijalva said, “Despite our many ideological differences, I’m pleased that both sides of the aisle are able to come together to finish out this Congress with some important bipartisan wins for Indian Country and a suitable tribute to our friend, the late Congressman Young. I look forward to the president signing these bills into law soon.”

Three of the tribal bills expected to pass the House this evening will help secure reliable water supplies for tribes and surrounding communities, including:

  • S. 3168 (Kelly) – A bill to amend the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010 to modify the enforceability date for certain provisions, and for other purposes.
  • S. 3308 (Kelly) – Colorado River Indian Tribes Water Resiliency Act of 2021, to authorize the Colorado River Indian Tribes to enter into lease or exchange agreements and storage agreements relating to water of the Colorado River allocated to the Colorado River Indian Tribes, and for other purposes.
  • S. 4104 (Sinema) – Hualapai Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2022, to approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Hualapai Tribe and certain allottees in the State of Arizona, to authorize construction of a water project relating to those water rights claims, and for other purposes.

The remaining two bills include: 

  • S. 3773 (Cantwell) – A bill to authorize the leases of up to 99 years for land held in trust for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.
  • S. 5087 (Murkowski) – A bill to amend the Not Invisible Act to extend, and provide additional support for, the activities of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice Joint Commission on Reducing Violent Crime Against Indians.

Press Contact

Media Contact: Lindsay Gressard

202-225-6065 | cell: 202-740-4715