119-HR-6162 DC Insider Whip Count Analysis

Bill status and scope (as of May 23, 2026)

• Sponsor: Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-1); introduced November 19, 2025; referred to House Natural Resources. [2]Congress.gov (Library of Congress) — All Info - H.R.6162 (119th): Albuquerque I…
• Subcommittee hearing held March 4, 2026 (Indian & Insular Affairs); supportive testimony from the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and local officials. [3]U.S. House of Representatives — Legislative Hearing on H.R. 2827, H.R. 6162, an…
• Full committee advanced the bill on April 21, 2026; coverage and committee communications indicate no opposition at markup. [1]House Committee on Natural Resources (Majority) — Committee Advances Legislatio…
• Senate companion: S.3219 (Heinrich, with Luján) referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. [4]U.S. Senate (Office of Sen. Heinrich) — Heinrich Leads Legislation to Transfer…
• Substance: transfers three former Albuquerque Indian School tracts (~9.89 acres) into trust for the 19 Pueblos; preserves existing encumbrances; bans Class II/III gaming. [5]Congress.gov (Library of Congress) — H.R. 6162 (IH) — Albuquerque Indian School…

Breakdown: expected support by chamber and party

This is a targeted, locally negotiated land transfer with explicit non‑gaming language and a bipartisan Senate companion — a profile that typically draws broad support when it reaches the floor. [5]Congress.gov (Library of Congress) — H.R. 6162 (IH) — Albuquerque Indian School…

Key legislators to watch

• Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM): bill sponsor; local delegation lead; can help assemble bipartisan floor coalition. [2]Congress.gov (Library of Congress) — All Info - H.R.6162 (119th): Albuquerque I…
• Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR): Natural Resources Chair; backed committee action — his green light signals majority receptivity. [1]House Committee on Natural Resources (Majority) — Committee Advances Legislatio…
• Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO): Subcommittee Chair (Indian & Insular Affairs) who ran the March hearing — maintains jurisdictional gate. [7]House Committee on Natural Resources (Majority) — Maintaining Tribal Self-Deter…
• Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA): control House floor timing and procedure (suspension vs. rule). [8]Speaker.gov — Home — Speaker of the House Mike Johnson
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): Chair, Senate Indian Affairs — committee agenda setter and UC negotiator. [6]U.S. Senate — U.S. Senate: Committee on Indian Affairs — membership (Chair list…
• Sen. John Thune (R-SD): Senate Majority Leader — schedules floor time; can hotline for UC when clears committee. [9]U.S. Senate — About Parties and Leadership | Majority and Minority Leaders (119…
• Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM): sponsor/cosponsor of S.3219 — shepherding on Senate side. [4]U.S. Senate (Office of Sen. Heinrich) — Heinrich Leads Legislation to Transfer…

Documented positions and endorsements

The record shows aligned tribal, local, and committee support — and no organized opposition in markup.

• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (on behalf of the 19 Pueblos): submitted supportive testimony. [10]U.S. House of Representatives — Testimony of Monique Fragua (Indian Pueblo Cult…
• All Pueblo Council of Governors: cited as supporting in the subcommittee hearing memorandum. [11]docs.house.gov
• Bernalillo County leadership: letter entered for the record supporting the transfer. [12]U.S. House of Representatives — Support letter from Bernalillo County (entered…
• House Natural Resources majority and local media: reported the bill advanced out of committee on April 21, 2026 without opposition. [1]House Committee on Natural Resources (Majority) — Committee Advances Legislatio…

Procedural dynamics and path to passage

• House floor options: leadership can use suspension of the rules (two‑thirds threshold; common for noncontroversial measures) or a rule (simple majority). [13]congress.gov
• Senate path: if the House sends a clean bill, Indian Affairs can mark it up and the Majority Leader can seek unanimous consent on the floor; any single senator can object and force time‑consuming cloture. [14]U.S. Senate — About Voting (explains unanimous consent)
• Chamber control context: Republicans hold narrow House and Senate majorities in the 119th Congress, so scheduling hinges on GOP leadership priorities, not on cross‑party votes — though the substance here is bipartisan. [15]Congressional Research Service — CRS: Membership of the 119th Congress: A Profi…

Assessment

Bottom line from a process-and-votes perspective:

• House: High likelihood of passage once scheduled. The bill’s profile (local, non‑gaming, trust status with encumbrances preserved) and a no‑drama committee advance point to either a suspension vote or an easy structured rule. Confidence: high. [5]Congress.gov (Library of Congress) — H.R. 6162 (IH) — Albuquerque Indian School…
• Senate: Moderately high likelihood. With Murkowski chairing Indian Affairs and the New Mexico delegation carrying the companion, the usual path is committee approval followed by UC on the floor — barring a single‑senator hold. Confidence: moderate‑to‑high. [6]U.S. Senate — U.S. Senate: Committee on Indian Affairs — membership (Chair list…

Key bill mechanics relevant to members

• Transfer occurs after GSA relocates remaining federal tenants; DOI must take land into trust within 90 days of that transfer. [5]Congress.gov (Library of Congress) — H.R. 6162 (IH) — Albuquerque Indian School…
• Existing easements/encumbrances are preserved; uses limited to educational, health, cultural, business, and economic development; explicit prohibition on Class II/III gaming. [5]Congress.gov (Library of Congress) — H.R. 6162 (IH) — Albuquerque Indian School…
• Senate and House previously enacted a closely analogous Albuquerque Indian School land‑transfer in 2015 with negligible budget impact per committee reports — an indicator of low scorekeeping risk here. [16]congress.gov

Metrics

Contextual numbers members and staff will ask about at first briefing.