[House Report 114-483]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


114th Congress    }                                     {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                     {      114-483

======================================================================
 
                       NATIONAL BISON LEGACY ACT

                                _______
                                

   April 12, 2016.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Chaffetz, from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2908]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 2908) to adopt the bison as the 
national mammal of the United States, having considered the 
same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend 
that the bill as amended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

Committee Statement and Views....................................     3
Section-by-Section...............................................     3
Explanation of Amendments........................................     3
Committee Consideration..........................................     4
Roll Call Votes..................................................     4
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch.....................     4
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the 
  Committee......................................................     4
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     4
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................     4
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings..............................     4
Federal Advisory Committee Act...................................     4
Unfunded Mandate Statement.......................................     5
Earmark Identification...........................................     5
Committee Estimate...............................................     5
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate...     5

    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

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 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 are involved in bison 
        restoration on tribal land;
          (5) members of Indian tribes have a combined herd on more 
        than 1,000,000 acres of tribal land;
          (6) the Intertribal Buffalo Council is a tribal organization 
        incorporated pursuant to section 17 of the Act of June 18, 1934 
        (commonly known as the ``Indian Reorganization Act'') (25 
        U.S.C. 477);
          (7) bison can play an important role in improving the types 
        of grasses found in landscapes to the benefit of grasslands;
          (8) a small group of ranchers helped save bison from 
        extinction in the late 1800s by gathering the remnants of the 
        decimated herds;
          (9) bison hold significant economic value for private 
        producers and rural communities;
          (10) according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture of the 
        Department of Agriculture, as of 2012, 162,110 head of bison 
        were under the stewardship of private producers, creating jobs 
        and providing a sustainable and healthy meat source 
        contributing to the food security of the United States;
          (11) 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;
          (12) 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 wildlife refuge in the 
        United States, which was known as the ``Wichita Mountains 
        Wildlife Refuge'', resulting in the first successful 
        reintroduction of a mammal species on the brink of extinction 
        back into the natural habitat of the species;
          (13) 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;
          (14) there are bison herds in National Wildlife Refuges and 
        National Parks;
          (15) there are bison in State-managed herds across 11 States;
          (16) 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;
          (17) a bison is portrayed on 2 State flags;
          (18) the bison has been adopted by 3 States as the official 
        mammal or animal of those States;
          (19) a bison has been depicted on the official seal of the 
        Department of the Interior since 1912;
          (20) the buffalo nickel played an important role in 
        modernizing the currency of the United States;
          (21) several sports teams have the bison as a mascot, which 
        highlights the iconic significance of bison in the United 
        States;
          (22) in the 2nd session of the 113th Congress, 22 Senators 
        led a successful effort to enact a resolution to designate 
        November 1, 2014, as the third annual National Bison Day; and
          (23) members of Indian tribes, bison producers, 
        conservationists, sportsmen, educators, and other public and 
        private partners have participated in the annual National Bison 
        Day celebration at several events across the United States and 
        are committed to continuing this tradition annually on the 
        first Saturday of November.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADOPTION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN BISON AS THE 
                    NATIONAL MAMMAL.

  (a) In General.--The mammal commonly known as the ``North American 
bison'' is adopted as the national mammal of the United States.
  (b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act or the adoption of the 
North American bison as the national mammal of the United States shall 
be construed or used as a reason to alter, change, modify, or otherwise 
affect any plan, policy, management decision, regulation, or other 
action by the Federal Government.

                     Committee Statement and Views


                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    The National Bison Legacy Act adopts the bison as the 
national mammal of the United States.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The National Bison Legacy Act establishes the mammal 
commonly known as the ``North American bison'' as the national 
mammal of the United States. The bill contains 23 findings that 
identify the cultural, historical, and economic significance of 
the bison on the United States. H.R. 2908's findings also 
specifically point out the significance of bison to American 
Indians and furthermore draw attention to historical 
conservation efforts that saved the bison from extinction.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    H.R. 2908, the National Bison Legacy Act, was introduced on 
June 25, 2015 by Congressman William Lacy Clay (D-MO) and 
referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. 
On March 1, 2016, the Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform ordered H.R. 2908 favorably reported, as amended.
    Similar legislation has been introduced by Congressman Clay 
in the House two prior times, as H.R. 3400 in the 113th 
Congress and H.R. 6304 in the 112th Congresses. No further 
action was taken on either bill.

                           Section-by-Section


Section 1. Short title

    Designates the short title of the bill as the ``National 
Bison Legacy Act''.

Section 2. Findings

    Makes 23 findings regarding the history of bison in the 
United States and its cultural and historical importance.

Section 3. Establishment and adoption of the North American bison as 
        the national mammal

    Subsection (a) adopts the mammal commonly known as the 
``North American bison'' as the national mammal of the United 
States.
    Subsection (b) contains a rule of construction stating that 
nothing in the Act is designed to otherwise alter federal 
policy regarding bison.

                       Explanation of Amendments

    During Full Committee consideration of the bill, 
Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) offered an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute to include a rule of construction 
stating that nothing in the Act is designed to otherwise alter 
federal policy regarding bison. The Lummis amendment was 
adopted by unanimous consent.

                        Committee Consideration

    On March 1, 2016 the Committee met in open session and 
ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 2908, by unanimous 
consent, a quorum being present.

                            Roll Call Votes

    No roll call votes were requested or conducted during Full 
Committee consideration of H.R. 2908.

              Application of Law to the Legislative Branch

    Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1 requires a 
description of the application of this bill to the legislative 
branch where the bill relates to the terms and conditions of 
employment or access to public services and accommodations. 
This bill adopts the bison as the national mammal of the United 
States. As such this bill does not relate to employment or 
access to public services and accommodations.

  Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of 
this report.

         Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives

    In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee's performance 
goal or objective of the bill is to adopt the bison as the 
national mammal of the United States.

                    Duplication of Federal Programs

    No provision of this bill establishes or reauthorizes a 
program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of 
another Federal program, a program that was included in any 
report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program 
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance.

                  Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings

    The Committee estimates that enacting this bill does not 
direct the completion of any specific rule makings within the 
meaning of 5 U.S.C. 551.

                     Federal Advisory Committee Act

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish 
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within 
the definition of 5 U.S.C. App., Section 5(b).

                       Unfunded Mandate Statement

    Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment 
Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded 
Mandate Reform Act, P.L. 104-4) requires a statement as to 
whether the provisions of the reported include unfunded 
mandates. In compliance with this requirement the Committee has 
received a letter from the Congressional Budget Office included 
herein.

                         Earmark Identification

    This bill does not include any congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 
clause 9 of rule XXI.

                           Committee Estimate

    Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the 
Committee of the costs that would be incurred in carrying out 
this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) of that rule provides 
that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has 
included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the 
bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974.

     Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect 
to requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received 
the following cost estimate for this bill from the Director of 
Congressional Budget Office:

H.R. 2908--National Bison Legacy Act

    H.R. 2908 would establish the North American bison as the 
national mammal of the United States. The legislation would not 
change any plan, policy, management decision, or regulation of 
the federal government. Thus, CBO estimates that implementing 
the legislation would have no effect on the federal budget. 
Because enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or 
revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2908 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
    H.R. 2908 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew 
Pickford. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

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