A bill to declare that the United States holds certain lands in trust for the Pueblo de Cochiti.
Public Law 98-344 · S. 2403 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Jul 9, 1984 · Native Americans
Sponsor: Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Jeff Bingaman
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Declares that all Federal right, title, and interest in specified lands is held in trust by the Secretary of the Interior for the Pueblo de Cochiti (New Mexico). Directs the Secretary to conduct a cadastral survey of such lands. Declares such lands to be part of the Pueblo Reservation and prohibits their development for uses other than those existing on the date this Act is enacted.
States that permittees of such lands who are not members of the Pueblo shall be given the opportunity to renew their permits in the same manner as appropriate before enactment of this Act.
Sets the term for permits renewed under this Act at 30 years or the death of the permittee, whichever occurs later. Allows the spouse or children of a deceased permittee to assume the permit for the balance of the thirty-year period upon notice to the Pueblo and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Declares that if the Pueblo obtains relinquishment of a certain number of grazing permits in the portion of the Caja del Rio allotment in the Santa Fe National Forest that overlaps the Santa Cruz Spring Tract, then the remaining permittees in that overlap area shall lose their interests and all rights to renew their permits. Preserves the grazing rights of remaining permittees within the portion of the Caja del Rio allotment which does not overlap the Santa Cruz Spring Tract.
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to deposit all permit fees into the Treasury to the credit of the Pueblo.
Authorizes the Pueblo to: (1) obtain relinquishment of permits on specified lands; and (2) grant in consideration of such relinquishments, agricultural or grazing leases or permits to existing permittees on other Pueblo Reservation lands for a maximum 50-year term. Subjects such grants to the Secretary's approval.
Requires the Secretary to give full recognition to all land interests acquired by the Department of the Army in the Cochiti Lake project under specified Memoranda of Agreement and through fee acquisition, until such time as the project is deauthorized by Congress.
Directs the Secretary to grant easements for access to specified lands. States that the fees charged for utility easements shall not exceed current Federal rates for such easements.
Declares the water rights appurtenant to specified lands shall be those in existence under State law on the date this Act is enacted.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Indian Affairs Committee · Senate · hearings by (full committee), markup by, referred to, reported by
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 11 actions.
- Jul 9, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-344.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jun 27, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Jun 21, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- May 10, 1984FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
- Apr 18, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Apr 9, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Mar 29, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Mar 8, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- 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.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.