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House OKs measure letting Navajo Revitalization Fund be used for housing
Summary
Lawmakers approved HB75 to allow the Navajo Revitalization Fund to provide loans or grants for housing and related capital projects on the Utah portion of the Navajo Reservation; sponsors said the fund is modest ("a few hundred thousand dollars") and remains subject to board priorities and matching requirements.
Representative Buckmeyer presented House Bill 75, which modifies the Navajo Revitalization Fund Act to permit eligible entities to receive loans or grants for housing projects and related capital needs. Buckmeyer said the bill adds the explicit permission to use severance-tax-derived funds for housing while keeping the fund under the existing Navajo Revitalization Fund board and its established criteria.
Members asked how the funds would be administered and whether grants could flow directly to individuals. Buckmeyer explained eligible recipients include chapter houses and the tribe; the board "may not approve a loan or grant unless the loan or grant provides for matching monies or in-kind services from the Navajo Nation, the Navajo Trust Fund, San Juan County, the state, the federal government, or other private or public organizations." He estimated fund inflows at "a few hundred thousand dollars" in recent years and said the board gives priority to capital projects and infrastructure but can consider housing when needed.
Representatives expressed both support and caution: some stressed the urgency of housing and infrastructure needs on the reservation, while others worried about diverting limited dollars from essential utilities. The House passed HB75 70–0 and sent it to the Senate for further action.
