Alan Simpson: “I thank Chairman Hastings for bringing this bill and the subsequent bill that will follow to the floor and see rapid…”

“I thank Chairman Hastings for bringing this bill and the subsequent bill that will follow to the floor and see rapid action. I thank the gentleman for his support of this. Let me also say that this is the last year that Chairman Hastings will be in Congress. He has chosen to retire at the end of this year, and it has been a pleasure to work with him on both resource issues and on energy and water issues that I am involved with. We are going to miss him and his 20 years of service representing Washington and all the people in this country. So I appreciate the work that you have done, and we will miss you. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5050, the May 31, 1918 Act Repeal Act. This is a simple but significant piece of legislation addressing issues that impact the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Idaho. As its name suggests, H.R. 5050 would repeal the 1918 Act that gives the Federal Government authority to unilaterally take Shoshone-Bannock tribal land out of trust and transfer it to a local government for use as a township. This act is antiquated, and any purpose it may have served toward its stated goal of providing trading opportunities for the tribes has long since expired. Today, thanks to an MOU dating back to 2009, the local county government has granted jurisdiction over the remaining town-site to the tribes for law enforcement, emergency services, roads, and infrastructure. It is time to wipe this 1918 law off the books.…”