[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3248 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3248

  To designate the North American bison as the national mammal of the 
                             United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 24, 2012

  Mr. Enzi (for himself, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. Conrad, Mr. 
 Hoeven, Mr. Thune, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Moran, Mr. 
 Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Johanns, and Mr. Whitehouse) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To designate the North American bison as the national mammal of the 
                             United States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Bison Legacy Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) bison are considered to be a historical symbol of the 
        United States;
            (2) bison were integrally linked with the economic and 
        spiritual lives of many Indian tribes through trade and sacred 
        ceremonies;
            (3) there are more than 60 Indian tribes participating in 
        the Intertribal Buffalo Council;
            (4) numerous members of Indian tribes--
                    (A) are involved in bison restoration on tribal 
                land; and
                    (B) have a combined herd on more than 1,000,000 
                acres of tribal land;
            (5) the Intertribal Buffalo Council is a tribal 
        organization incorporated pursuant to section 17 of the Act of 
        June 18, 1934 (commonly known as ``Indian Reorganization Act'') 
        (25 U.S.C. 477);
            (6) bison play an ecologically important role in modifying 
        and improving the types of grasses found in landscapes to the 
        benefit of grassland ecosystems;
            (7) a bison has been depicted on the official seal of the 
        Department of the Interior almost continuously for 94 years;
            (8) a bison is portrayed on 2 State flags;
            (9) the bison has been adopted by 3 States as the official 
        mammal of those States;
            (10) the buffalo nickel played an important role in 
        modernizing the currency of the United States;
            (11) several sports teams have the bison as a mascot, which 
        highlights the iconic significance of bison in the United 
        States;
            (12) on December 8, 1905, William Hornaday, Theodore 
        Roosevelt, and others formed the American Bison Society in 
        response to the near extinction of bison in the United States;
            (13) on October 11, 1907, the American Bison Society sent 
        15 bison to the first big game refuge in the United States, 
        which was known as the ``Wichita Reserve Bison Refuge'';
            (14) in 2005, the American Bison Society was reestablished, 
        bringing together bison ranchers, managers from Indian tribes, 
        Federal and State agencies, conservation organizations, and 
        natural and social scientists from the United States, Canada, 
        and Mexico to create a vision for the North American bison in 
        the 21st century;
            (15) bison hold significant economic value for private 
        producers and rural communities;
            (16) as of 2007, the United States had 4,499 bison 
        producers creating jobs and providing a sustainable and healthy 
        meat source contributing to the food security of the United 
        States;
            (17) there are bison herds in National Wildlife Refuges and 
        National Parks; and
            (18) members of Indian tribes, bison producers, 
        conservationists, sportsmen, educators, and other public and 
        private partners have committed to spearheading a national 
        celebration of the North American bison, to be held annually on 
        the first Thursday of November.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN BISON AS THE NATIONAL MAMMAL.

    The mammal commonly known as the ``North American bison'' is 
designated as the national mammal of the United States.
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