Northern Montana Water Security Act of 2025
Latest action · Jan 31, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 31, 2025
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Northern Montana Water Security Act of 2025
This bill modifies and ratifies a specified water rights settlement agreement entered into by the United States, Montana, and the Fort Belknap Indian Community of the Fort Belknap Reservation of Montana (i.e., the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes). The bill also authorizes wastewater infrastructure on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana.
The bill requires the community's water rights to be held in trust for the benefit of the community and its allottees. The community must enact a tribal water code to regulate its water rights.
Additionally, the bill authorizes the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (as applicable) to enter negotiations with Montana to exchange certain state lands for federal lands to be held in trust for the benefit of the community. The bill prohibits gaming on the land taken into trust.
The bill also
- establishes the Aaniiih Nakoda Settlement Trust Fund (and specified accounts) for purposes of carrying out this bill,
- establishes the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Settlement Implementation Fund (and specified accounts) for purposes of carrying out this bill, and
- provides funding for specified accounts established by the bill.
The bill also authorizes Interior to plan, design, construct, operate, maintain, and replace community water distribution and wastewater treatment facilities for the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 31, 2025 to Aug 24, 2026, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-MT | Troy Downing | Original | Jan 31, 2025 |
| R-ID | Michael K. Simpson | Aug 24, 2026 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 31, 2025Introduced in House
- Jan 31, 2025Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 241 | Northern Montana Water Security Act of 2025 | Identical bill | Mar 5, 2025 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Native Americans.
- Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
- Dams and canals
- Department of the Interior
- Economic development
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Federal-Indian relations
- Government information and archives
- Government liability
- Government studies and investigations
- Government trust funds
- Historical and cultural resources
- Hunting and fishing
- Indian lands and resources rights
- Indian social and development programs
- Intergovernmental relations
- Lakes and rivers
- Land transfers
- Land use and conservation
- Missouri River
- Montana
- Native Americans
- Outdoor recreation
- State and local government operations
- Water quality
- Water resources funding
- Water storage
- Water use and supply
- Watersheds
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 31, 2025Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.