July 29, 2026 8:49 pm
CRIT Nation, Parker, AZ
July 29, 2026 8:49 pm
CRIT Nation, Parker, AZ
Click the links below to download a form
Direct Deposit Authorization Form
General Welfare Application_09242024
General Welfare Application Minors_09242024
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Dear Tribal Member:
Tribal Council has approved a 2024 General Welfare Assistance payment of $2,000.00 for each CRIT Tribal Member. CRIT Tribal members, both minors and adults, who are enrolled with CRIT as of November 1, 2024 are eligible to receive assistance. Tribal Members MUST submit an application to receive a General Assistance Payment for 2024.
Click the links below to download a form
Direct Deposit Authorization Form
General Welfare Application_09242024
General Welfare Application Minors_09242024
This 2024 General Welfare Assistance payment replaces the annual Tribal Distribution Payment. The benefits to the membership are that the General Welfare Assistance payment is NOT income subject to federal taxes and should not impact eligibility for benefits such as SSI and food stamps. You will not be issued a 1099 for this payment. Please review the General Welfare Plan for more information.
Tribal Members will receive their General Welfare Assistance payment by mail or by direct deposit into a bank account after submitting their application. Parents or legal guardians may request direct deposit for their eligible minor tribal member children into an account owned by the parent or the child. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SUBMIT A NEW DIRECT DEPOSIT FORM WITH YOUR APPLICATION IF YOU INTEND TO RECEIVE YOUR GENERAL WELFARE ASSISTANCE PAYMENT IN SAME BANK ACCOUNT AS YOU RECEIVED YOUR 2023 GENERAL WELFARE ASSISTANCE PAYMENT.
The General Welfare Assistance payment will be mailed or direct deposited as follows:
Application and Forms Due Date Payment Issued
Must be received by Accounting:
October 18, 2024 November 21, 2024
November 22, 2024 December 19, 2024
December 20, 2024 January 16, 2025
After December 20, 2024 Payments issued monthly on a rolling basis
and before December 31, 2025
If you want to receive your General Welfare Assistance payment by direct deposit, you must submit the attached Direct Deposit Authorization Form along with a voided check to CRIT Accounting. If you do not have a direct deposit authorization form on file from last year, or do not submit one for 2024 with your application, your payment will be mailed to the address on your application. The mailing address you provide on the application will be used to update your address with both enrollment and accounting. You may have already received written notification along with an application and a self-addressed stamped envelope for your use to return the forms or the forms can be dropped off in person at Tribal Administration. Additionally, the application and forms can be emailed to GWA@crit-nsn.gov.
Please note that the checks for eligible minor tribal members will be issued in the name of the child and not the parents. Parents or guardians must submit proof of their right to receive the distribution on behalf of their child by submitting an application with a copy of the birth certificate listing the parent(s), and if applicable, a court order establishing legal custody and placement before checks will be mailed or the payment directly deposited.
Checks will not be issued to the parent(s) if they do not have the care and custody of their children. Guardians and custodians of minors who are not the child’s legal parent shall be required to provide a court order indicating their status. Payments for children in the physical care and custody of CRIT Social Services or other state or tribal agencies shall be held in an account established by CRIT Accounting.
Tribal Members must apply for the 2024 General Welfare Assistance Payments no later than December 31, 2025 after which a 2024 payment will not be available.
Please be advised that if you are in default on a debt you owe to the Colorado River Indian Tribes or its enterprises, you may voluntarily agree to apply your General Welfare Assistance to the loan or other outstanding debt in default. If you have any questions about outstanding debts in default please contact Tracey Quillen at (928) 669-1239.
If you have any questions regarding General Welfare Assistance or you have an agency incorrectly treating this payment as income please contact the Office of the Attorney General at (928) 669-1271.
Click the links below to download a form
Direct Deposit Authorization Form
Follow this link for more information including how to apply.
This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Superintendent, Colorado River Agency in Poston, Arizona.
The Colorado River Indian Tribes Tribal Council has made a historic decision to protect the lifeblood of their Reservation. On November 6, 2025, the Council unanimously approved Resolution No. R-375-25, which proclaims the personhood status of the Colorado River under tribal law.
This resolution acknowledges the Colorado River as a living entity whose health and well-being are intrinsically linked to the well-being of the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) members. The Tribes’ deep-rooted connection to the river spans centuries, providing cultural identity, spiritual strength, food systems, and economic stability that continue to shape their community life today.
The resolution emphasizes the central role the river has played in defining the identity of the CRIT. It highlights that CRIT’s ancestors have preserved and protected these lands since before the establishment of the Colorado River Indian Reservation in 1865.
The Council underscores the crucial role the river plays in sustaining traditional practices, wildlife, and agriculture, including the federal irrigation systems authorized as early as 1867. Today, the Colorado River Indian Irrigation Project stands as a cornerstone of the tribal economy.
The resolution underscores significant legal milestones that acknowledged CRIT’s water rights. In the landmark 1964 and 2006 Arizona v. California U.S. Supreme Court decisions, the Tribes secured 719,248 acre-feet of water annually, ensuring their access to the river for generations to come.
By granting personhood to the River, the Tribal Council reaffirmed its sovereign duty to honor and protect it. This status mandates that the River’s well-being must be a priority in governance and decision-making moving forward.
As part of the resolution, the Attorney General and their staff will develop legal safeguards and propose updates to the CRIT Water Code and other relevant regulations. These updates may include the potential designation of the river as a protected cultural landscape.
Council members recognized that protecting the river is not merely a legal obligation but a continuation of cultural beliefs passed down through generations.
Through this declaration, CRIT demonstrates its unwavering commitment to stewardship. The resolution concludes with a resolute message: the Colorado River is, and will always remain, a vital entity deserving of respect, care, and protection for all future generations.
Article Written by CRIT Media Reporter Ariana Romero
News Update November 12, 2025
Negotiations over the future of the Colorado River have reached a standstill after all seven basin states failed to meet a key federal deadline. Reports from 12News and 8NewsNow confirm that the states were unable to agree on a new water-sharing plan, leaving the situation unresolved as the river continues to decline.
High Country News explains that the biggest disagreements involve how much each state should give up in the future. The upper Basin states want fewer mandatory reductions, while the Lower Basin states, including Arizona, say they have already taken the deepest cuts and cannot continue to absorb the majority of the impacts.
With no agreement in place, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has asked the Trump administration to intervene. She stated that Arizona has made significant sacrifices and cannot carry the weight of the reductions while other states refuse to commit to measurable cuts. If the states cannot reach a plan soon, the federal government may create one for them.
For the Colorado River Indian Tribes, the outcome of these negotiations has major importance. CRIT holds valuable senior water rights and relies on a stable and fair management plan to ensure long-term security for the community and the region.
For more information, you can read the news articles with the links below.
High Country News
https://www.hcn.org/articles/why-colorado-river-negotiations-are-so-difficult/
12 News
/wednesday-is-deadline-for-7-state-including-arizona-to-negotiate-the-colorado-river
Department heads and managers for the Colorado River Indian Tribes met September 16th to exchange ideas and information. They received updates on local banking services from Wells Fargo and were introduced to new and acting directors.
These meetings are called on a quarterly basis by Chairwoman Flores to ensure communication, cooperation, collaboration, and coordination among department heads and managers.
Additional topics included CRIT’s travel policies and five-year plans for departments.
The meeting was held in the Mohave Room at the Blue Water Resort and Casino.
Delivering a message of tribal sovereignty and unity, CRIT Chairwoman Amelia Flores gave opening remarks for a special meeting of the 30 Basin Tribes to discuss Colorado River water policy, allocation, and consultation with native communities. The meeting was held September 13th at Chairwoman Flores’ request.
In addition to Chairwoman Flores, CRIT Vice Chairman Dwight Lomayesva, Tribal Council members Anisa Patch and Bobby Page also attended the conference held Courtyard Scottsdale Marriott owned by the Salt River Pima Indian Community.
The focus of the meeting was to discuss post-2026 Colorado River Guidelines, which could have a profound impact on CRIT’s water rights, as well as multiple indigenous communities and reservations when it comes to Colorado River water allocations. CRIT has vowed to make sure it has a seat at the table to ensure its rights are protected.
Chairwoman Flores stated in opening remarks that the rights of all tribes must be protected, “The stakes for all of us are too high as to how the post 2026 (Colorado River Guidelines) impacts our water rights so we need to keep in constant communication with our trustee.”
Flores called upon the tribes to work together, “All the tribal nations are unique, but we are bound by one great river, the Colorado River.”
In addition to tribal leaders, United States Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton was also in attendance. Touton said she and federal officials were there to listen, “I can see every single leader here and I know the issues we are working through together as sovereign nations.”
Topics discussed included:
• Status of discussions with the Basin States – Reclamation.
• Alternatives development – will Reclamation protect tribal water rights?
• Schedule of release of documents – what can we expect to see and when?
• Is the consultation process working? How can it be improved?
• Future/follow-up meetings between Tribal Nations and Reclamation.
WASHINGTON – U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today released the following statement on a new policy that requires notifying tribal governments of any new mineral exploration on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The policy aligns with recommendations from the Biden-Harris administration’s Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Mining Laws, Regulation, and Permitting, which published a report outlining its findings last year.
“With so many of the critical minerals we need for clean energy lying within 35 miles of tribal lands, tribes must have a foremost role in new mining projects,” said Ranking Member Grijalva. “Making sure tribes are notified as early as possible in the mining process is a critical step toward that goal. As we continue to push to reform our antiquated mining system, I want to thank the Biden-Harris administration for their continued commitment to honoring tribal sovereignty and helping to ensure that our transition to a clean energy future is a just one.”
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
Ranking Member Grijalva has been a longstanding champion for reforming our more than 150-year-old Mining Law of 1872, which has no environmental review or tribal consultation requirements. On May 19, 2023, he and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced House and Senate versions of the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act to modernize our antiquated mining system. Among other important provisions, that legislation requires federal agencies to conduct early and meaningful consultation with tribes prior to permitting mining activities that impact tribal communities.
