Winter Session tees up major power shift bills

WINDOW ROCK

The 25th Navajo Nation Council will open its Winter Session today, Jan. 26, 2026, with an agenda that puts budget authority, confirmation powers and Executive oversight at the center of a consequential five-day gathering inside the Council Chamber.

The session is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

The proposed agenda also calls for the Council to receive the annual State of the Nation address from President Buu Nygren, along with reports from the chief justice, the speaker and the controller.

It remains unclear, however, whether Nygren will deliver the address. The president has not given a State of the Nation speech to the Council during several previous Council sessions, and it is not known whether he will continue that streak during the Winter Session.

Those opening reports are expected to frame deliberations on a slate of legislation that could reshape the balance of power between the Council and the Executive Branch.

Governance proposals target Title 2

Several of the most far-reaching measures propose amendments to Title 2 of the Navajo Nation Code, which governs the authority and structure of the Legislative and Executive branches.

One bill, sponsored by Delegate George Tolth and co-sponsored by Delegates Amber Kanazbah Crotty and Curtis Yanito, seeks to revise the powers and duties of the offices of the president and vice president. Another proposal, sponsored by Delegate Carl Slater with co-sponsors Otto Tso and Curtis Yanito, would redefine the respective roles of the Council and the Executive Branch in confirming division and Executive directors, as well as the controller, attorney general and deputy attorney general.

Several of the governance measures require a two-thirds vote of the Council, signaling their legal significance and the likelihood of extended debate. One such bill, sponsored by Delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton and co-sponsored by Delegate Rickie Nez, would amend Title 2 to expand the Council’s authority to confirm all division directors.

The agenda also includes legislation focused on Council procedures and internal operations.

A proposal sponsored by Tolth and co-sponsored by Crotty would amend the Council’s Rules of Order. Another measure, sponsored by Crotty with co-sponsors Delegates Shaandiin Parrish and Cherilyn Yazzie, would override a presidential veto and codify virtual attendance for delegates at standing committee meetings and full Council sessions by amending Title 2 and related rules of order.

Budget, confirmations in focus

The Council is scheduled to consider multiple budget revision requests that would waive provisions of the Budget Instructions Manual restricting transfers from personnel to nonpersonnel accounts. One bill, sponsored by Speaker Crystalyne Curley, would approve a budget revision for the Office of Legislative Counsel to cover operating expenses. Another, sponsored by Delegate Germaine Simonson and co-sponsored by Delegate Vince James, would approve 10 separate budget revision requests for the Department of Diné Education.

In new business, the Council will consider legislation approving $3.88 million from the Unreserved, Undesignated Fund Balance to address supplemental operational needs for the DODE in fiscal 2026. That measure, sponsored by James and co-sponsored by Simonson, would waive several sections of Title 12 related to budget limitations.

Another major fiscal proposal, sponsored by Parrish and co-sponsored by Yanito, would retain Navajo Nation Fiscal Recovery Fund investment earnings in the revenue replacement reserve to support delegate region project plans. The legislation would amend Title 12 to establish a Capital Development Financing Act and a corresponding financing fund, while authorizing limited waivers of sovereign immunity for certain financing transactions.

The Council is also scheduled to vote on confirmations for key leadership positions. Delegates will consider confirming Vince Redhouse as the executive director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office, under legislation sponsored by Yanito, and Rodney L. Tahe as executive director of the Office of Legislative Services, sponsored by Curley with co-sponsors Casey Allen Johnson and Yanito.

Education governance is another focus of the session. A bill sponsored by James and co-sponsored by Delegate Andy Nez would amend Title 10 to reduce the number of members on the Navajo Nation Board of Education. Additional education-related legislation includes budget revisions and supplemental funding proposals for the DODE.

Throughout the session, Council delegates will also receive oral and written reports from tribal and federal entities, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, the Navajo Nation attorney general, the Navajo Nation Youth Advisory Council, standing committees, boards and commissions and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.

With multiple measures requiring supermajority approval, and several focused on confirmation authority and Executive oversight, the session could bring significant changes in how power is exercised within the Diné government.

The agenda remains subject to change until formally adopted by the Council.

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