Martin
Heinrich

Heinrich has spent years focused on a few core fights. Each is tied to bills actually introduced or votes actually cast.

• 01
  Tribal water rights warrant federal legislative settlementHeinrich has sponsored a set of bills establishing federal water rights settlements for New Mexico tribal nations, including the Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System (S.565), the Zuni Indian Tribe (S.564), Ohkay Owingeh's Rio Chama system (S.563), and the Rio San José and Rio Jemez communities (S.562). Each bill addresses long-standing water allocation disputes affecting tribal communities in New Mexico through congressional settlement.
• 02
  Federal land and natural resources warrant active protectionHeinrich has sponsored multiple bills directed at public land conservation and natural resource management, including wilderness designation for Cerro de la Olla (S.1497), wild and scenic river designation for the Greater Gila (S.1476), completion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (S.1470), protection of the Buffalo Tract (S.1464), watershed protection for the Pecos River system (S.1319), and habitat connectivity on working lands (S.4091).
• 03
  Abandoned mine cleanup should have dedicated federal frameworkHeinrich sponsored S.2781, the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024, which was enacted into law. The bill establishes a framework permitting Good Samaritan entities to remediate abandoned hardrock mine sites, addressing environmental hazards left by historical mining operations without imposing full liability on voluntary cleanup participants.
• 04
  Firearm regulations should address specific device categoriesHeinrich has sponsored legislation directed at particular firearm-related devices. The GOSAFE Act (S.1370) and the BUMP Act (S.1374) each address specific categories of firearm equipment through federal regulation. Both bills have been introduced across multiple consecutive Congresses, with S.1374 having been reintroduced approximately 30 times and S.1370 approximately 18 times.
• 05
  Agriculture and workforce policy merit federal legislative attentionHeinrich has sponsored the Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025 (S.1507), which addresses climate-related challenges in the agricultural sector and has been reintroduced across multiple Congresses. He has also sponsored the Apprenticeship Pathways Act of 2025 (S.235), which would expand access to registered apprenticeship programs as a workforce development mechanism, and the Indian Buffalo Management Act (S.3478), which addresses bison management on tribal lands.