Heinrich Secures Senate Passage of Legislation to Transfer a Portion of the Former Albuquerque Indian School Campus to Pueblos for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced Senate passage of his Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2026, legislation that places portions of the former Albuquerque Indian School campus, currently managed by the General Services Administration, into trust for the benefit of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico.

"Our legislation will help the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center expand its reach, create new economic opportunities, foster entrepreneurship, and help local small businesses grow. Now that our bill has passed the Senate, I urge Speaker Mike Johnson and House Leadership to take it up and pass it without delay. This legislation will deliver an important win for the 19 Pueblos and for everyone who calls New Mexico home," said Heinrich.

In the Senate, the legislation is led by Heinrich and cosponsored by U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. In the House, it is led by U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) and cosponsored by U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) in the House.

"Expanding economic development and cultural education opportunities for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is critical for the 19 New Mexico Pueblos it serves. I cosponsored the Albuquerque Indian School Act because it will help the center grow, support job creation, and generate new revenue for New Mexico's Pueblos and our communities," said Luján, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. "Having this bill pass the Senate is a vital step toward getting this bill across the finish line and signed into law."

The Albuquerque Indian School Act now heads to the House for final passage.

The Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2026 builds upon a longstanding, bipartisan effort to transfer the former Albuquerque Indian School campus and surrounding buildings 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.

Last month, Heinrich and Luján announced the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs passage of their Albuquerque Indian School Act.

Earlier this summer, Heinrich testified in support of the bill and urged his colleagues to advance the legislation out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Watch the full video of Heinrich's testimony 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. Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), former U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), and former U.S. Representative Manuel Luján Jr. (R-N.M.).

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