The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs holds a business meeting to consider pending legislation on March 5, 2025.

The committee approved a total of 25 bills at the meeting, which lasted about five minutes. Each measure can now be considered by the full U.S. Senate for further action.

“We’re moving as quickly as we can to get these out of the committee, so we can get the full Senate to pass them and hopefully see them enacted into law,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the chair of the legislative panel.

The list of bills approved en bloc follows:

H.R.165, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to complete all actions necessary for certain lands to be held in restricted fee status by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and for other purposes.

S.105, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act. A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to complete all actions necessary for certain lands to be held in restricted fee status by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and for other purposes.

S.240, the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025. A bill to amend the Crow Tribal Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes

S.241, the Northern Montana Water Security Act of 2025. A bill to provide for the settlement of the water rights claims of the Fort Belknap Indian Community, and for other purposes.

S.390, the BADGES for Native Communities Act, or the Bridging Agency Data Gaps and Ensuring Safety for Native Communities Act. A bill to require Federal law enforcement agencies to report on cases of missing or murdered Indians, and for other purposes.

S.546, the Technical Correction to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025. A bill to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to make a technical correction to the water rights settlement for the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, and for other purposes.

S.550, a bill to provide for the equitable settlement of certain Indian land disputes regarding land in Illinois, and for other purposes.

S.562, the Rio San José and Rio Jemez Water Settlements Act of 2025, A bill to approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna in the Rio San José Stream System and the Pueblos of Jemez and Zia in the Rio Jemez Stream System in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.

S.563, the Ohkay Owingeh Rio Chama Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025. A bill to approve the settlement of water rights claims of Ohkay Owingeh in the Rio Chama Stream System, to restore the Bosque on Pueblo Land in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.

S.564, the Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025. A bill to approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Zuni Indian Tribe in the Zuni River Stream System in the State of New Mexico, to protect the Zuni Salt Lake, and for other purposes.

S.565, the Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025. A bill to approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Navajo Nation in the Rio San José Stream System in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.

S.612, a bill to amend the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act to authorize grants to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations, and for other purposes.

S.620, a bill to provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations for rabies prevention and other purposes.

S.621, the Leech Lake Reservation Restoration Amendments Act of 2025. A bill to accept the request to revoke the charter of incorporation of the Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota at the request of that Community, and for other purposes.

S.622, a bill to amend the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act to provide for the transfer of additional Federal land to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and for other purposes

S.632, the IHS Workforce Parity Act of 2025. A bill to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to allow Indian Health Service scholarship and loan recipients to fulfill service obligations through half time clinical practice, and for other purposes.

S.637, the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project Amendments Act of 2025. A bill to amend the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes.

S.640, the the Technical Corrections to the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act, Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, and Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act. Abill to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to make a technical correction to the Navajo Nation Water Resources Development Trust Fund, to amend the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 to make technical corrections to the Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund and Aamodt Settlement Pueblos’ Fund, and for other purposes.

S.642, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Land Claim Settlement Act of 2025. A bill to provide compensation to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community for the taking without just compensation of land by the United States inside the exterior boundaries of the L’Anse Indian Reservation that were guaranteed to the Community under a treaty signed in 1854, and for other purposes.

S.673, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act. A bill to amend the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act to authorize the expansion of the Miccosukee Reserved Area and to carry out activities to protect structures within the Osceola Camp from flooding, and for other purposes.

S.689, a bill to approve the settlement of the water right claims of the Tule River Tribe, and for other purposes.

S.719, the Tule River Tribe Reserved Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025. A bill to amend the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 to improve that Act, and for other purposes.

S.723, the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act of 2025. A bill to require the Bureau of Indian Affairs to process and complete all mortgage packages associated with residential and business mortgages on Indian land by certain deadlines, and for other purposes.

S.748, a bill to reaffirm the applicability of the Indian Reorganization Act to the Lytton Rancheria of California, and for other purposes.

S.761, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2025. A bill to establish the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States, and for other purposes.

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice
Business Meeting to consider several bills (March 5, 2025)