Albuquerque Indian School Land Transfer Act Passes Senate, Moves to House

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Steve Pearce and Ben Ray Luján welcomed passage in the Senate of the Albuquerque Indian School Land Transfer Act. Udall, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Heinrich introduced the Senate bill to place four tracts of land from the former Albuquerque Indian School into trust for the 19 Pueblos, consolidating the last parcels of the old school property into the Albuquerque Indian School District adjacent to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. The bill now must be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, where it was introduced by Lujan Grisham and cosponsored by Pearce and Luján.

The lawmakers released the following joint statement:

"This bill will help New Mexico's Pueblos move forward with positive economic development plans on the land adjacent to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. It will enable the Pueblos to build on their ongoing efforts to transform the property into a unique business and cultural center that will help create jobs and enhance cultural education opportunities for the Pueblos, the city of Albuquerque and the state of New Mexico. We're extremely pleased that this bill has passed the Senate, and we we look forward to working as a delegation to advance the bill through the House."