II 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2641 

To recognize conservation efforts to restore the American bison from extinction by placing the image of the American bison on the nickel, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 13, 2004 

Mr. ENZI (for himself and Mr. CAMPBELL) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To recognize conservation efforts to restore the American 

bison from extinction by placing the image of the American bison on the nickel, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bison Nickel Restora5 tion Act of 2004’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 
2 

•S 2641 IS 

1 (1) the American bison is one of the most en2 during symbols of the expedition of Meriwether 

3 Lewis and William Clark; 

4 (2) Native Americans in the Great Plains 

5 States have held the American bison as one of the 

6 most sacred animals, as it represents a spiritual 

7 being supplying everything necessary to survive; 

8 (3) the American bison continues to be a sym9 bol of Western States and the growth of the United 

10 States westward in the 19th century; 

11 (4) the population of the American bison herd 

12 has been restored from near extinction levels due to 

13 exceptional conservation efforts; 

14 (5) the American bison herd, which once num15 bered approximately 60,000,000 fell below 100 for 

16 free-range bison in the early 1900s; 

17 (6) at the time, only 21 American bison were 

18 living in Yellowstone National Park, and 8 in the 

19 National Zoo in Washington, DC; 

20 (7) the conservation efforts to restore the 

21 American bison officially began with the efforts of 

22 President Theodore Roosevelt with the American 

23 Bison Society in 1905, the first United States con24 servation effort to restore a single species from ex25 tinction; 
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•S 2641 IS 

1 (8) the centennial of the signing into law by 

2 President Roosevelt of the creation of the National 

3 Bison Range in Montana will take place on May 23, 

4 2008; and 

5 (9) in 2004, the bison herd in North America 

6 is anticipated to surpass 500,000, and the American 

7 Bison has been restored and has become a viable 

8 commercial ranching enterprise for many small- and 

9 medium-sized ranchers. 

10 SEC. 3. BISON COIN AUTHORITY EXTENSION. 

11 Section 101 of the American 5-Cent Coin Design 

12 Continuity Act of 2003 (31 U.S.C. note) is amended— 

13 (1) by striking ‘‘and 2005’’ each place that 

14 term appears, other than in subsection (b)(2), and 

15 inserting ‘‘, 2005, and 2006’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (b)(2), by adding at the end 

17 the following: ‘‘If the Secretary of the Treasury 

18 elects to change the reverse of the 5-cent coins 

19 issued during 2006, one of the designs selected shall 

20 depict the image of an American bison as part of 

21 such emblematic images.’’. 
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•S 2641 IS 

1 SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF THE AMERICAN 5-CENT COIN DE2 SIGN CONTINUITY ACT OF 2003. 

3 Section 5112(d)(1) of title 31, United States Code, 

4 is amended in the 5th sentence, by striking ‘‘December 

5 31, 2005’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2006’’. 

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