U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) speaks in support of the Albuquerque Indian School Act at a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing to consider pending legislation, June 3, 2026. Courtesy photo
NM Delegation News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) announced that their Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025, which is cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), passed the U.S. House of Representatives and received a hearing in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The legislation places three tracts of land from the former Albuquerque Indian School campus and surrounding land into trust for the benefit of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico.
At a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing today to consider the Albuquerque Indian School Act, Heinrich testified in support of the bill and urged his colleagues to advance the legislation out of committee. Watch the full video of Heinrich’s testimony here.
“My Albuquerque Indian School Act is more than just a land transfer. It is about putting a small but important piece of land back where it belongs—with New Mexico’s 19 Pueblos,” Heinrich said. “The development of these under-utilized parcels of land will create jobs, foster entrepreneurship, and expand business services for Pueblo communities and the broader public. After the House passed my legislation this week, today’s Senate hearing marks another important step in our effort to get this bill across the finish line and signed into law.”
“Yesterday’s passage of the Albuquerque Indian School Act in the House of Representatives is a major step forward in a decades-long effort to return land to the stewardship of New Mexico’s 19 Pueblos in Albuquerque,” Stansbury said. “This legislation will place nearly 10 acres into trust for the Pueblos, continuing the transformation of this historic site into a center for Pueblo culture and economic opportunity. For generations, Tribal leaders, advocates, and members of New Mexico’s Congressional delegation have worked across party lines to advance this vision, and we are one step closer to making it a reality. This legislation is about more than land—it is about tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and investing in the future of Pueblo communities. I am proud to have led this effort in the House and grateful for the broad bipartisan support that helped move it forward.”
“Expanding economic development and cultural education opportunities for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is critical for the 19 New Mexico Pueblos it serves. That is why I partnered with Senator Heinrich to introduce the Albuquerque Indian School Act, legislation that will help the center grow, support job creation, and generate new revenue for New Mexico’s Pueblos and our communities,” Luján said, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “I am proud to see this legislation pass the House and advance in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. I will continue working to ensure it passes the Senate and is signed into law.”
“The Albuquerque Indian School Act is about justice, healing, and Tribal sovereignty,” Leger Fernández said. “For generations, this land carried the painful legacy of the federal Indian boarding school system. Today, the House took an important step to return it to the 19 Pueblos—where it belongs—and turn a painful history into a future built on cultural sovereignty, opportunity, and respect.”
The Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025 builds upon a longstanding, bipartisan effort to transfer the former Albuquerque Indian School campus and surrounding tracts to the 19 Pueblos in New Mexico for the development and growth of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is a nationally recognized museum and cultural institution owned and operated by the Pueblos, dedicated to both preserving and perpetuating pueblo history, culture, and art, while facilitating their future economic growth and long-term economic sustainability.
The text of the bill is here.
In 2015, Heinrich, Luján, and the rest of the N.M. Delegation successfully passed into law the Albuquerque Indian School Land Transfer Act, legislation to place four tracts of land from the former Albuquerque Indian School into trust for the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, consolidating the last parcels of the old school property into the Albuquerque Indian School campus. This followed several prior bipartisan efforts, from 1969 to 2008, led by former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), and former U.S. Rep. Manuel Luján Jr. (R-N.M.).