A view of the Fort Hall Reservation, home to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Idaho. Photo from Facebook

With the 113th Congress coming to a close, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Idaho are seeing success in resolving two longstanding land issues.

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama signed S.2040, the Blackfoot River Land Exchange Act, into law. The bill resolves a boundary dispute that arose when the federal government conducted a realignment of the Blackfoot River in 1964.

"When I grew up in Blackfoot, which was on the northern side of the Fort Hall Reservation, the Blackfoot River was the designation of the northern boundary of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and the southern part of the city of Blackfoot," Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) said on the House floor earlier this month.

But Simpson said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "changed the flow of the river, leaving some tribal land located north of the river and some non-Indian land located south of the river. For years, the tribes and affected landowners have collaborated to find a solution to this problem that works for all concerned."

The House passed the bill by a 414 to 0 vote on December 2. The Senate approved it on September 18.

A second bill benefiting the tribe also cleared both chambers of Congress. H.R.5050, the May 31, 1918 Act Repeal Act, ensures that any land that the tribe acquires within a townsite set aside under a 1918 law will be held in trust.

The House passed the bill by a 418 to 0 vote on December 2. The Senate approved it by unanimous consent on Monday so now it's ready for Obama's signature.

Simpson serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and sits on subcommittees that deal with Indian Country, energy and water issues so his position has been beneficial to the tribe this year.

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House Natural Resources Committee sets markup on tribal bills (09/17)
Audio from House subcommittee hearing on five tribal measures (07/29)
House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs hearing (07/29)
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