The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes Cooperation Act
Last action · May 21, 2026: Subcommittee Hearings HeldSponsors: Teresa Leger Fernandez and 1 other
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
This bill requires federal agencies to create formal agreements with New Mexico es to coordinate and manage traditional, noncommercial uses of federal public lands. It establishes a framework for these groups to access federal land for activities like gathering herbs, wood, and water, while ensuring these uses align with federal regulations.
This bill creates a legal pathway for New Mexico land grant communities to formalize access to federal lands for traditional, noncommercial activities, potentially reducing permit fees and streamlining coordination with the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes communities
These communities gain a formal process to coordinate traditional land use and request fee waivers or reductions for activities on federal land.
Indian Tribes
The bill requires federal agencies to consult with Indian Tribes during the development of the memorandum of understanding.
Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior
These agencies are mandated to negotiate and maintain formal agreements with the New Mexico Land Grant Council and manage permit requirements.
Key Facts
- Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the New Mexico Land Grant Council within 2 years of enactment.
- Defines 'historical or traditional use' as noncommercial activities including gathering herbs, wood, flora, soil, or rocks, as well as grazing, subsistence hunting/fishing, and maintenance of monuments, shrines, or cemeteries.
- Mandates that the MOU must describe which traditional uses require federal permits and the procedures for obtaining them.
- Requires the MOU to outline processes for requesting reductions or waivers of permit and cost-recovery fees for qualified land grant-mercedes.
Show all 8 facts
- Excludes land within Indian reservations or land held in trust for Indian Tribes or individuals from the definition of 'Federal land' under this act.
- Requires that any traditional use must be sustainable and support the long-term integrity of the land grant-merced, as determined by the Secretary in coordination with the Land Grant Council.
- Stipulates that all agreements must remain consistent with existing federal laws, land use plans, and valid existing rights.
- Authorizes the Secretary to enter into subsidiary agreements with specific land grant-mercedes for individual projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this bill allow commercial use of federal land?
Will this affect land owned by Indian Tribes?
What happens if a land grant-merced wants to graze livestock?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- May 21, 2026HouseSubcommittee Hearings Held
- May 12, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
- Apr 9, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- Apr 9, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Formalization of Traditional Use
The bill shifts the management of traditional land uses from informal or ad-hoc arrangements to a structured, multi-year memorandum of understanding process.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools