The Senate last Thursday passed a bill to lift the so-called "Bennett Freeze" that limits development on parts of the Navajo Nation that were the subject of a land dispute with the Hopi Tribe.

The two tribes already agreed to lift the moratorium and a federal judge signed off on the plan. But Navajo leaders say repealing the ban is key to ensuring future development.

The dispute began when members of the Navajo Nation began moving onto land that was initially set aside for the Hopi Tribe. A judge later ruled the executive order that created the Hopi Reservation allowed "other tribes" to live there.

S.39 passed the Senate by unanimous consent without a hearing or debate. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee discharged it by unanimous consent without a hearing during the 111th Congress.

A comparable version has not been introduced in the House.

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Bennett Freeze officially unthawed (AP 3/14)