S. 3381: A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to develop water infrastructure in the Rio Grande Basin, and to approve the settlement of the water rights claims of the Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, and Taos.

S. 3381: A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to develop water infrastructure in the Rio Grande Basin, and to approve the settlement of the water rights claims of the Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, and Taos.

110th Congress · introduced 2008-07-31 · Native Americans · Latest: Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2008-07-31 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to develop water infrastructure in the Rio Grande Basin, and to approve the settlement of the water rights claims of the Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, and Taos.

Plain summary

Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act - Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Settlement Agreement dated January 19, 2006, among New Mexico, the Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, and Tesuque, the United States, the city of Santa Fe, and Santa Fe County and related agreements. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to plan, design, and construct a Regional Water System to divert and distribute water to the Pueblos in accordance with the Agreement. Directs the Secretary, for the purpose of providing a reliable supply of water from the System for the Pueblos in accordance with the Agreement, to: (1) acquire rights to specified Nambe reserved water and water acquired by the County; (2) make a specified amount of water available to the Pueblos in accordance with the San Juan-Chama Project Act; and (3) obtain approval to divert such water for the System at points consistent with the Agreement. Establishes in the Treasury the Aamodt Settlement Pueblos Fund. Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act - Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Settlement Agreement of March 31, 2006, between the United States, the Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, the Taos Valley Acequia Association and its 55 member ditches, Taos, the El Prado Water and Sanitation District (EPWSD), and the 12 Taos area Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Associations. Requires water rights to which the Taos Pueblo is entitled under the Partial Final Decree entered in New Mexico v. Abeyta and New Mexico v. Arellano to be held in trust by the United States. Directs the Secretary to provide financial assistance to: (1) the Pueblo to construct, replace, or rehabilitate water infrastructure, to protect the environment associated with the Buffalo Pasture area, and to enhance watershed conditions; and (2) eligible non-Pueblo entities for mutual benefits projects in accordance with the Agreement. Establishes in the Treasury a Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund. Authorizes the Pueblo to market its water rights under the Agreement. Directs the Secretary to enter into three repayment contracts by December 31, 2009, for the delivery of specified amounts of San Juan-Chama Project water to the Pueblo, the town of Taos, and EPWSD.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to develop water infrastructure in the Rio Grande Basin, and to approve the settlement of the water rights claims of the Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, and Taos.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-110s3381.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/110/s>

Record fed-us-cong110-s3381 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong110 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong110