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Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute Settlement Act of 1996

Public Law 104-301 · S. 1973 · 104th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Oct 11, 1996 · Native Americans

Sponsor: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

Cosponsors: None

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute Settlement Act of 1996 - Ratifies the Settlement Agreement between the United States and the Hopi Tribe executed on December 14, 1995.

Sets forth the conditions to be met prior to taking lands into trust for the Tribe pursuant to the Settlement Agreement.

Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire: (1) private lands; and (2) through condemnation, with funds provided by the Tribe, certain interspersed lands that are owned by the State of Arizona in order to have both the private and the State lands taken into trust for the Tribe. Prohibits the Secretary, pursuant to the provisions of this Act and the Settlement Agreement, from placing lands, any portion of which are located within or contiguous to a five-mile radius of an incorporated town or city in Northern Arizona, into trust for the Tribe without specific statutory authority.

Authorizes the Tribe, if the United States fails to discharge the obligation of voluntarily relocating Navajos residing on Hopi Partitioned Lands, to bring an action to quiet possession relating to use of such Lands after February 2002 by an eligible Navajo family that fails to enter into an accommodation.

Authorizes an appropriation to the Department of the Interior of $250,000 for FY 1998 to be used for making a payment to the State of Arizona. Requires the Secretary to make such a payment to the State of Arizona after an initial acquisition of land from the State has been made by the Secretary.

Amends Federal law to authorize leases by the Hopi Tribe to Navajo Indians residing on Hopi Partitioned Lands that may be for a 75-year term and extended at the conclusion of the lease term.

Amends Public Law 93-531 to reauthorize the Navajo-Hopi Relocation Housing Program through FY 2000.

Sets forth provisions concerning water rights on newly aquired trust lands.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.

  1. Oct 11, 1996Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 104-301.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 2, 1996PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Sep 29, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Natural Resources Committee
  5. Sep 28, 1996FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  6. FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
  7. FloorFloor · Mr. Gilchrest asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
  8. FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
  9. Sep 27, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
  10. Sep 26, 1996FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  11. FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
  12. Sep 9, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
  13. Jul 30, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
  14. Jul 18, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Indian Affairs Committee
  15. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.