Rep. Calvert Introduces Bill to Settle Agua Caliente Tribe Water Rights and Provide $500 Million in Funding
This bill is currently sitting in the House Committee on Natural Resources where it has been since November 2025. No action has taken place on this proposal for eight months. The bill is stalled because the committee must review it before it can move forward.
This bill settles a specific local dispute that has been in court for years, which usually helps it get support, but it still needs to go through the full committee process.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Small businesses operating on the Agua Caliente Reservation would transition from paying county property tax on their possessory interests to paying a tribal tax. The bill ensures the tribal tax rate cannot be lower than the county rate, so businesses would not see a tax cut, but the new framework provides more certainty. Businesses that rely on water in the Coachella Valley also benefit from a more stable long-term water supply plan.
“The Tribal Tax shall not for any taxable period be imposed with respect to any Possessory Interest at a rate or on an assessed value lower than the rate and any assessed value that, but for the preemption in this section, would have formed the basis for imposition and assessment of the Riverside County Ad Valorem Property Tax”
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Water Rights Settlement Act
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.
