San Juan Southern Paiute Tribal Homelands Act of 2023

This bill approves a 2000 treaty between the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe and the Navajo Nation, establishing a 5,400-acre reservation within the existing Navajo Indian Reservation boundaries in northern Arizona and southern Utah. The San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe (federally recognized since 1989) will gain exclusive jurisdiction over this land, including water rights, resolving long-standing disputes that previously prevented the Tribe from providing essential services like housing and healthcare on their ancestral lands. Key provisions include transferring all land and water rights within the designated Northern and Southern Areas to the Tribe, with the U.S. holding them in trust, and ending Navajo Nation jurisdiction over these areas once boundaries are finalized. The bill also resolves pending litigation and requires the Secretary of the Interior to survey and fence the reservation boundaries within 18 months.