By a voice vote on Monday, the House passed a controversial bill to distribute a $145 million trust fund to members of the Western Shoshone Nation.

The bill is payment for 27 million acres of land the Western Shoshones lost due to white encroachment. About 6,000 tribal members would receive a per capita payment of about $20,000.

Activists oppose the bill because they say the land was not taken legally. They also want land to be returned to the Western Shoshone tribes, located in Nevada, California, Utah and Idaho.

The National Congress of American Indians passed an emergency resolution yesterday to oppose the bill.

Get the Story:
House approves bill to pay Western Shoshone for land (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 6/22)
House passes long-stalled bill to pay Western Shoshone for land (AP 6/21)
NCAI opposes Western Shoshone bill in emergency resolution before vote (Indian Country Today 6/21)

Relevant Documents:
NCAI Resolution | Senator Reid Letter | Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act (H.R.884) | Bill Report | S.618

Related Stories:
Western Shoshone payout bill delayed in House (06/03)
Support grows for Western Shoshone trust fund bill (05/07)
Western Shoshone bill faces another push in 2004 (01/13)
Western Shoshone leaders want U.S. to show ownership (10/27)
Senate approves $144M Western Shoshone payout bill (10/20)
Western Shoshones sue over 60M acres of land (09/30)
Senate panel approves Western Shoshone payout bill (07/17)
House panel considers Shoshone payout bill (06/19)
Reid says he would consider Shoshone land claims (03/14)
Western Shoshone payout bill reintroduced (02/26)
Indian bills faces uncertain future in Congress (11/18)
Senate approves Shoshone payout (11/14)
Opposition to Shoshone payout mounts (10/15)
BLM auctions seized Shoshone cattle (10/7)
U.S. asked to halt Shoshone auction (10/4)
BLM to auction seized Shoshone cattle (10/2)
Shoshone activists to stage protests (9/30)
Senate panel approves Shoshone payout (9/26)
Shoshone cattle seized, horses feared next (9/24)
Shoshone 'renegades' resist land payout (8/26)
Senate panel debates Shoshone payout bill (8/5)
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