Navajo-Hopi Development Act
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.
Navajo - Hopi Development Act - States that it is the object of this Act to solve the land dispute between the Navajo and Hopi Tribes in a manner which would be in harmony with such a program of reservation development. Title I: The Navajo - Hopi Development Commission - Establishes a Navajo Hopi Development Commission to be composed of one Federal member appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, two members appointed by the Navajo Tribal Council, and two members appointed by the Hopi Tribal Council. Enumerates the functions of the Commission, including to: (1) analyze the results of the programs initiated on the reservations under the Act of April 19, 1950, and other Federal laws; (2) prepare plans for the economic and social development of the reservations; and (3) conduct investigations and studies of the resources of the reservation. Directs the Commission to make recommendations to the President and the Congress. Authorizing to be appropriated to the Commission not to exceed $500,000 for fiscal year 1975, and not to exceed $500,000 for each of the four succeeding fiscal years. Enumerates the administrative powers of the Commission. Title II: Development of Programs - Directs the Commission to: (1) prepare a comprehensive plan for the construction of development highways and access roads on reservations; (2) prepare a comprehensive plan for the proper utilization of the agricultural and water resources of the reservations; and (3) enter into agreements with the tribes and occupiers of land providing for land stabilization, erosion control, and reclamation through changes in land use, and conservation treatment. Authorizes appropriations for such purposes. Title III: Adjustment of Interests Between Hopi and Navajo Tribes - Expresses the findings of Congress. States that immediately following its organizational meeting the Commission shall commence an investigation to determine: (1) which lands within the joint-interest area were on July 22, 1958, used by Hopi Indians for residential or agricultural (including grazing) purposes and which lands were on that date used by the Navajo Indians for such purpose; and (2) which lands within the portion of the joint-interest area which on July 22, 1958, were used and occupied for residential or agricultural (including grazing) purposes by Navajo Indians were on or about July 22, 1958, used by Hopi Indians for the purposes of wood cutting and gathering, obtaining coal, gathering plants and plant products, visiting ceremonial shrines, and hunting. Provides that following the issuance of the appraisal report, the Secretary of the Interior shall cause to be served on the Navajo Tribal Council and the Hopi Tribal Council the form of an order specifying those lands held in trust by the United States for the Navajo and Hopi Indian Tribes and fixing the amount of compensation to which the Hopi Tribe shall be entitled. Provides for the judicial partition of the Moencopi area.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on March 22, 1974. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 22, 1974: Referred to Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JOSEPH MONTOYA (D-NM) introduced it on March 22, 1974, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 22, 1974, 19165 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19165 days ago, on March 22, 1974.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers