Sponsors (9)
The bill strengthens tribal authority, capacity, and cultural/economic benefits from bison restoration and conservation on tribal lands, while creating federal costs, administrative and coordination challenges, potential exclusion and transparency tradeoffs, and risks to uniform disease-control and planning that Congress and implementers will need to manage.
Tribal governments gain clearer and expanded authority to manage buffalo and habitat, increasing tribal decisionmaking and sovereignty over these resources.
Tribal communities can obtain federal funding, technical assistance, surplus buffalo, and capacity-building to restore herds and develop buffalo-related economic activities (meat/products, mobile processing), supporting subsistence, cultural use, and local jobs.
Tribal lands and nearby ecosystems benefit from restoration and reintroduction of the native bison subspecies, aiding species conservation and habitat recovery.
Taxpayers and federal budgets may face increased costs because the Act funds grants, technical assistance, fee waivers, and administrative support for tribal buffalo programs.
Rural communities, non-tribal landowners, and state/local governments may face land‑use conflicts, coordination challenges, and legal uncertainty from expanded tribal buffalo management and changes to statutory definitions.
Some tribes or community groups could be excluded or disadvantaged because narrow eligibility criteria and chartering requirements limit who can participate in programs or receive surplus buffalo.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Directs Interior to support Tribal buffalo restoration and management with grants, transfers of surplus bison, technical help, consultation, confidentiality protections, and a seven-year sunset.
Introduced March 17, 2026 by Jeff Hurd · Last progress March 17, 2026
Creates a federal program to support Tribal-led restoration, management, and use of plains bison (Bison bison bison) on Indian land. It directs the Department of the Interior to coordinate with Tribes and qualifying Tribal organizations, provide grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, technical assistance, and to transfer surplus federal bison to Tribes for movement onto Indian land. The law requires consultation, protects tribal-designated confidential information, preserves treaty rights, and sunsets all authorities seven years after enactment.