[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 426 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 426

        Designating November 4, 2023, as ``National Bison Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 24, 2023

   Mr. Hoeven (for himself, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Thune, Mr. Cramer, Mr. 
   Marshall, Mr. Moran, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
Tester, Mr. Markey, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Boozman, Ms. Smith, Mr. Lujan, Mr. 
 Coons, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Braun, Mr. Scott of Florida, 
     and Ms. Warren) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                        considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
        Designating November 4, 2023, as ``National Bison Day''.

Whereas, on May 9, 2016, the North American bison was adopted as the national 
        mammal of the United States;
Whereas bison are considered a historical and cultural symbol of the United 
        States;
Whereas bison are integrally linked with the economic and spiritual lives of 
        many Indian Tribes through trade and sacred ceremonies;
Whereas there are approximately 82 Indian Tribes participating in the 
        InterTribal Buffalo Council, which is a Tribal organization incorporated 
        pursuant to section 17 of the Act of June 18, 1934 (commonly known as 
        the ``Indian Reorganization Act'') (48 Stat. 988, chapter 576; 25 U.S.C. 
        5124);
Whereas numerous members of Indian Tribes are involved in bison restoration on 
        Tribal land;
Whereas members of Indian Tribes have a combined herd of almost 25,000 bison on 
        more than 1,000,000 acres of Tribal land in 22 States;
Whereas bison play an important role in the health of the wildlife, landscapes, 
        and grasslands of the United States;
Whereas bison hold significant economic value for private producers and Tribal 
        and rural communities;
Whereas, as of 2017, the Department of Agriculture estimates that 182,780 head 
        of bison were under the stewardship of private producers, creating jobs 
        and contributing to the food security of the United States by providing 
        a sustainable and healthy meat source;
Whereas a bison has been depicted on the official seal of the Department of the 
        Interior since 1912;
Whereas the Department of the Interior has launched the Bison Conservation 
        Initiative, a 10-year cooperative initiative to coordinate the 
        conservation and restoration of wild American bison;
Whereas a bison is portrayed on 2 State flags;
Whereas the bison has been adopted by 3 States as the official mammal or animal 
        of those States;
Whereas the buffalo nickel played an important role in modernizing the currency 
        of the United States;
Whereas several sports teams and businesses have the bison as a mascot, which 
        highlights the iconic and cultural significance of bison in the United 
        States;
Whereas Indigenous communities and a group of ranchers helped save bison from 
        extinction in the late 1800s by gathering the remaining bison of the 
        diminished herds;
Whereas, 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;
Whereas, on October 11, 1907, the American Bison Society sent 15 captive-bred 
        bison from the New York Zoological Park, now known as the ``Bronx Zoo'', 
        to the first big game refuge in the United States, now known as the 
        ``Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge'';
Whereas, in 2005, the American Bison Society was reestablished, bringing 
        together bison ranchers, Native American leaders and bison herd 
        managers, Federal and State agencies, conservation organizations, 
        artists and writers, young people, 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;
Whereas there are bison herds in national wildlife refuges, national parks, and 
        national forests, and on other Federal land;
Whereas there are bison in State-managed herds across 11 States;
Whereas private, public, and Tribal bison leaders are working together to 
        continue bison restoration throughout North America;
Whereas there is a growing effort to celebrate and officially recognize the 
        historical, cultural, and economic significance of the North American 
        bison to the heritage of the United States; and
Whereas members of Indian Tribes, bison producers, conservationists, sportsmen, 
        educators, and other public and private partners have celebrated the 
        annual National Bison Day since 2012 and are committed to continuing 
        this tradition annually on the first Saturday of November: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates November 4, 2023, the first Saturday of 
        November, as ``National Bison Day''; and
            (2) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
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