New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes Historical or Traditional Use Cooperation and Coordination Act

HR 2785 establishes a process for New Mexico land grant communities (descendants of historic Spanish/Mexican land grants) to continue noncommercial traditional uses on federal lands. It requires the federal government to create a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the New Mexico Land Grant Council within two years, detailing how to obtain permits for activities like water access, grazing, gathering small amounts of plants/wood, cemetery maintenance, and infrastructure upkeep. The MOU must include fee reductions for low-income community users and standardize processes for tribal consultation. The bill does not create new land rights but formalizes coordination for existing historical practices, ensuring federal land management plans consider these uses.