MURKOWSKI, SCHATZ HOLD HEARING ON INDIAN WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENTS AND RELATED LEGISLATION

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaiʻi), Vice Chairman, held a legislative hearing to examine the following five bills related to Indian water rights settlements:

• S. 3573, a bill to amend the Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act to modify a provision relating to the extension of certain dates for the completion of the Regional Water System, and for other purposes.
• S. 3617, Yavapai-Apache Nation Water Rights Settlement Act of 2026.
• S. 4368, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Water Rights Settlement Act.
• S. 4417, Pechanga Band of Indians Water Rights Settlement Technical Amendments Act.
• S. 4890, Protecting Indian Water Rights Settlements Act of 2026.

Chairman Murkowski and Vice Chairman Schatz released the following statements:

“Indian water rights settlements resolve longstanding claims, provide certainty for Tribal and non-Tribal water users, and deliver critical infrastructure to communities that have waited far too long. This hearing was an important opportunity to examine these bills, ensure they are structured for successful implementation, and fulfill our trust responsibilities in a fiscally responsible manner,” said Chairman Murkowski. “I thank our witnesses – including my colleagues Senators Kelly and Padilla – for sharing their expertise and perspectives with the Committee, and the Tribal leaders who have spent years negotiating these agreements and advocating for their communities.”

“This is clearly a broken system. If a project can’t be completed, then the time value of money, inflation, and then you end up with lots of difficulty. It is not cheaper to only partially fund a project,” said Vice Chairman Schatz. “I am hoping we can work together to get to fully fund water rights settlements. 

Watch opening statements from Chairman Murkowski and Vice Chairman Schatz here.

Witnesses included:

Panel I

• THE HONORABLE MARK KELLY, U.S. Senator (D-Ariz.)
• THE HONORABLE ALEX PADILLA, U.S. Senator (D-Calif.)

Panel II

• MR. SCOTT CAMERON, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC
• THE HONORABLE BUDDY ROCHA, JR., Chairman, Yavapai-Apache Nation, Camp Verde, AZ
• THE HONORABLE JEFF GRUBBE, Chairman, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Palm Springs, CA
• THE HONORABLE CATALINA CHACON, Council Member, Pechanga Band of Indians, Temecula, CA

Witness testimony, as written, and an archived video of the hearing can be found here. 

The Committee will continue to accept written testimony until July 12, 2026. Testimony may be submitted to testimony@indian.senate.gov.