# 119-s-3478: Indian Buffalo Management Act

119-s-3478, Indian Buffalo Management Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced (as of 2026-07-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3478
- As of: 2026-07-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3478
- Congress: 119
- Title: Indian Buffalo Management Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-12-15
- Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Native Americans
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-17

## Summary

**Help Tribes restore and manage buffalo and buffalo habitat on Indian land.** The bill would create a federal framework in the Department of the Interior to fund, coordinate, and support Tribal buffalo restoration, conservation, and related cultural and economic activities. - Tribes and Tribal organizations could receive grants, contracts, and technical assistance to restore and manage buffalo, run processing or commercial activities, and apply for surplus federal buffalo. This support aims to back subsistence, cultural uses, and potential economic development. - The Secretary of the Interior would coordinate government-to-government with Tribes, consult within one year, and develop a buffalo management policy aligned with Tribal-approved goals. The bill authorizes cooperative agreements and capacity building to help implement Tribal integrated resource management plans. - The bill would promote protection, conservation, and enhancement of buffalo populations and habitat on Indian land and let Tribes use integrated resource management plans. It would protect Tribe-designated culturally sensitive, proprietary, or confidential information.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Rep. Mullin, Markwayne [R-OK-2] (R-OK), 2025-12-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK), 2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Armstrong, Alan [R-OK] (R-OK), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More Tribal support for buffalo: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would direct the Department of the Interior to work government-to-government with Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations on buffalo and buffalo habitat. It would promote Tribal capacity building to manage buffalo, protect and enhance Tribal-owned herds, and grow herds for subsi…
- Rules for who manages buffalo: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would define key terms for buffalo programs. It would define 'buffalo' as the subspecies Bison bison bison and 'buffalo habitat' as Indian land managed for buffalo. It would adopt 'Indian land' by reference to the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and define 'Indian Tribe' and which Tr…

## Related bills

- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-1547: America the Beautiful Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026
- 119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-s-1532: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the railroad track maintenance credit.

## Sources
- [119-s-3478 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3478)

## Related
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-1547: America the Beautiful Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1547)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4429)
- [119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1261)
- [119-s-1532: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the railroad track…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1532)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3478 (as of 2026-07-17).