Sponsors (4)
Introduced December 15, 2025 by Martin Heinrich · Last progress December 15, 2025
The bill substantially increases tribal authority, resources, and cultural control to restore buffalo and habitat — advancing conservation, local food and economic opportunities — but does so at measurable fiscal cost and with risks of disease, land‑use conflicts, reduced transparency, and potential legal or implementation challenges that Congress and agencies will need to manage.
Indigenous tribal governments and tribal land residents gain clear legal authority, funding pathways, and formal inclusion in federal decision‑making to manage, restore, and receive transferred buffalo and habitat on tribal lands.
Tribal cultural and sovereign interests are strengthened: the Act preserves treaty rights, supports culturally aligned herd management, and allows tribes to protect culturally sensitive or proprietary information.
Tribes gain direct economic opportunities — grants, contracts, technical assistance, fee waivers and potential commercialization (including mobile meat-processing) — lowering financial barriers to herd restoration and local enterprise development.
Implementing capacity‑building, grants, transfers, consultations, and related administration will increase federal spending and agency costs, imposing fiscal impacts on taxpayers and agency budgets.
Moving animals, expanding herds, and uneven biosecurity requirements create real disease/escape and containment risks for tribal herds, neighboring livestock, and nearby communities if health screening and coordination are insufficient.
Expanding buffalo herds and aligning management with diverse tribal laws can change or restrict existing land uses and create grazing or land‑use conflicts for neighboring ranchers, homeowners, and local communities.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes the Interior Secretary to fund and support Tribal buffalo restoration and management, transfer surplus Federal buffalo to Tribes, protect Tribal confidentiality, require consultation, and sunsets after 7 years.
Creates a federal framework for the Department of the Interior to partner with Indian Tribes and qualifying Tribal organizations to restore, manage, and use buffalo (Bison bison bison) and buffalo habitat on Indian land. It authorizes grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, technical assistance, and transfers of surplus Federal buffalo to Tribes, requires Tribal consultation and a Tribal-aligned policy, protects Tribal-designated confidential information, and includes a 7-year sunset for the authorities.