I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6304 
To designate the North American bison as the national mammal of the 
United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 2, 2012 
Mr. CLAY (for himself, Mr. FORTENBERRY, Mr. SERRANO, and Mrs. NOEM) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Oversight and Government Reform 
A BILL 
To designate the North American bison as the national 
mammal of the United States. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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 to be a historical sym-
bol of the United States; 
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(2) bison were integrally linked with the eco-
nomic and spiritual lives of many Indian tribes 
through trade and sacred ceremonies; 
(3) there are more than 60 Indian tribes par-
ticipating in the Intertribal Buffalo Council; 
(4) numerous members of Indian tribes— 
(A) are involved in bison restoration on 
tribal land; and 
(B) have a combined herd on more than 
1,000,000 acres of tribal land; 
(5) the Intertribal Buffalo Council is a tribal 
organization incorporated pursuant to section 17 of 
the Act of June 18, 1934 (commonly known as ‘‘In-
dian Reorganization Act’’) (25 U.S.C. 477); 
(6) bison play an ecologically important role in 
modifying and improving the types of grasses found 
in landscapes to the benefit of grassland ecosystems; 
(7) a bison has been depicted on the official 
seal of the Department of the Interior almost con-
tinuously for 94 years; 
(8) a bison is portrayed on 2 State flags; 
(9) the bison has been adopted by 3 States as 
the official mammal of those States; 
(10) the buffalo nickel played an important role 
in modernizing the currency of the United States; 
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(11) several sports teams have the bison as a 
mascot, which highlights the iconic significance of 
bison in the United States; 
(12) on December 8, 1905, William Hornaday, 
Theodore Roosevelt, and others formed the Amer-
ican Bison Society in response to the near extinction 
of bison in the United States; 
(13) on October 11, 1907, the American Bison 
Society sent 15 bison to the first big game refuge 
in the United States, which was known as the 
‘‘Wichita Reserve Bison Refuge’’; 
(14) 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, Can-
ada, and Mexico to create a vision for the North 
American bison in the 21st century; 
(15) bison hold significant economic value for 
private producers and rural communities; 
(16) as of 2007, the United States had 4,499 
bison producers creating jobs and providing a sus-
tainable and healthy meat source contributing to the 
food security of the United States; 
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(17) there are bison herds in National Wildlife 
Refuges and National Parks; and 
(18) members of Indian tribes, bison producers, 
conservationists, sportsmen, educators, and other 
public and private partners have committed to spear-
heading a national celebration of the North Amer-
ican bison, to be held annually on the first Thursday 
of November. 
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN BISON AS 
THE NATIONAL MAMMAL. 
The mammal commonly known as the ‘‘North Amer-
ican bison’’ is designated as the national mammal of the 
United States. 
Æ 
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