S2908FEDERALUNKNOWN

Indian Buffalo Management Act

December 16, 2024

Native American Affairs Wildlife Conservation Agriculture Federal Grants Tribal Sovereignty

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

This legislation establishes a recurring $14 million annual federal funding stream for tribal governments to manage buffalo herds for cultural, subsistence, and economic development purposes.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Indian Tribes

Tribes are eligible to receive federal funding, technical assistance, and surplus buffalo to manage herds on their lands.

Department of the Interior

The Department is tasked with establishing a new permanent program, managing grants, and coordinating with tribes.

What changed

Last recorded activity December 16, 2024.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill creates a permanent federal program within the Department of the Interior to provide grants, contracts, and technical assistance to Indian Tribes for the restoration and management of buffalo on tribal lands. It also authorizes the transfer of surplus buffalo from federal lands to tribal lands and provides $14 million in annual funding to support these efforts.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible for the buffalo management grants?

Indian Tribes and s that are legally established and have experience in the restoration of buffalo and buffalo habitat.

Can the government force tribes to disclose sensitive cultural information?

No. The Act explicitly prohibits the Secretary from disclosing information identified by a Tribe as culturally sensitive, proprietary, or confidential.

Does this bill affect existing treaty rights?

No. The bill contains a specific provision stating that nothing in the Act alters, modifies, diminishes, or extinguishes the treaty rights of any Indian Tribe.

Why It Matters

This legislation establishes a recurring $14 million annual federal funding stream for tribal governments to manage buffalo herds for cultural, subsistence, and economic development purposes.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Formalization of Buffalo Restoration

The bill shifts buffalo management from ad-hoc efforts to a permanent, funded federal program within the Department of the Interior.

Department of the Interior Indian Tribes

Connected Entities

organizationDepartment of the Interior“Establishes a program to support Tribal buffalo management”Map →

personMr. Mullin“Co-sponsor of the bill”Map →

organizationTribal Governments“Primary recipients of assistance and management support”Map →

personMr. Heinrich“Lead sponsor of the bill”Map →

organizationU.S. Government Publishing Office“Source of the Congressional Bill”Map →

otherBison bison bison“The species of buffalo”Map →

organizationSenate“Introduced by Senators Heinrich and Mullin”Map →

organizationIndian Tribes“The target of the bill's provisions”Map →

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools