A Bill for an Act
Page 1, Line 101Concerning the classification of bison as wildlife unless
Page 1, Line 102classified as livestock, and, in connection therewith,
Page 1, Line 103making an appropriation.
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://leg.colorado.gov/.)
American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee. The bill classifies bison as big game wildlife unless the bison are livestock. Classifying bison as wildlife means that hunting or taking one is illegal unless authorized by rule of the parks and wildlife commission.
Page 2, Line 1Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
Page 2, Line 2SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds and declares that:
Page 2, Line 3(a) The history of the American bison is deeply intertwined with
Page 2, Line 4the history of indigenous peoples in North America. Once roaming the
Page 2, Line 5continent in vast herds numbering in the tens of millions, bison are a
Page 2, Line 6cornerstone of life for many American Indians and are revered as sacred
Page 2, Line 7relatives. Many American Indians and Tribal Nations continue to rely upon bison for survival, including for food, shelter, and clothing.
Page 2, Line 8(b) Among many tribal nations, the buffalo is regarded as a sacred
Page 2, Line 9relative. This relationship is deeply embedded in ceremonial traditions,
Page 2, Line 10including the Sundance, the Buffalo Ceremony, and the White-Buffalo
Page 2, Line 11Calf-Woman teachings. These ceremonies are not simply historical relics
Page 2, Line 12but are actively practiced today, reinforcing the spiritual, cultural, and
Page 2, Line 13communal well-being of native people. Additionally, many other tribes
Page 2, Line 14have traditional buffalo dances and other sacred rites honoring the
Page 2, Line 15buffalo's spiritual role. These ceremonies are vital to the continuation of traditional ways of life and connection to the natural world.
Page 2, Line 16(c) Recognizing the bison's critical role in the livelihood of
Page 2, Line 17indigenous peoples and in the campaign to continue European claim and
Page 2, Line 18control over lands inhabited by indigenous peoples, the United States
Page 2, Line 19government implemented a scorched-earth policy, granting military commanders the authority to decimate bison populations;
Page 2, Line 20(d) Over a span of 40 years, more than 30 million bison were
Page 2, Line 21killed. This mass extermination was not only wasteful and inhumane but
Page 2, Line 22also a calculated effort to undermine the cultural and physical survival of indigenous peoples.
Page 3, Line 1(e) Colonel Richard Irving Dodge infamously declared, "Kill
Page 3, Line 2every buffalo you can! Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone." The policy
Page 3, Line 3of killing bison had devastating impacts on American Indians and Tribal
Page 3, Line 4Nations and played a significant role in the federal government' s efforts
Page 3, Line 5to destroy tribal sovereignty. The resulting food and cultural scarcity
Page 3, Line 6played a significant role in the forced relocation of the plains peoples
Page 3, Line 7from Colorado in the late 1860s. It also contributed to the pressures restricting the Ute people to western Colorado.
Page 3, Line 8(f) By the time Colorado achieved statehood in 1876, hunting and
Page 3, Line 9habitat destruction caused by the development of farms, cities, and
Page 3, Line 10railroads had reduced the bison population to only a few hundred south of the Platte river;
Page 3, Line 11(g) Colorado seeks to protect, serve, and honor the enduring bond
Page 3, Line 12between bison and American Indians and Tribal Nations by classifying certain bison as wildlife; and
Page 3, Line 13(h) This action represents a step toward making amends for the
Page 3, Line 14attempted genocide of American Indians through the eradication of their food source, the bison.
Page 3, Line 15SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-1-102, amend(2) and (51); and add (2.6) as follows:
Page 3, Line 1633-1-102. Definitions - rules. As used in this title 33, unless the context otherwise requires:
Page 3, Line 17(2) "Big game" means elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose,
Page 3, Line 18rocky mountain bighorn sheep, desert bighorn sheep, rocky mountain
Page 3, Line 19goat, pronghorn antelope, black bear, mountain lion, bison that are
Page 3, Line 20wildlife, and all species of large mammals that may be introduced or
Page 4, Line 1transplanted into this state for hunting or are classified as big game by the commission.
Page 4, Line 2(2.6) "Bison" means the ungulate classified as the species Bos bison or Bison bison, known as the American bison.
Page 4, Line 4 (51) (a) "Wildlife" means wild vertebrates, mollusks, and
Page 4, Line 5crustaceans, whether alive or dead, including any part, product, egg, or
Page 4, Line 6offspring thereof, that exist as a species in a natural wild state in their
Page 4, Line 7place of origin, presently or historically, except those species determined
Page 4, Line 8to be domestic animals by rule
or regulation byPage 4, Line 9the state agricultural commission. Such determination within this statute
Page 4, Line 10shall not affect other statutes or court decisions determining injury to
Page 4, Line 11persons or damage to property
whichPage 4, Line 12(b) "Wildlife" does not include:
Page 4, Line 13(I) Privately owned cattle, including privately owned
Page 4, Line 14bison, bison legally reduced to captivity, or bison that have escaped lawful captivity; or
Page 4, Line 15(II) Bison owned by or lawfully reduced to captivity by an Indian tribe.
Page 4, Line 16SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-4-102, add (1.4)(cc) as follows:
Page 4, Line 1733-4-102. Types of licenses and fees - rules. (1.4) Except as
Page 4, Line 18otherwise provided in subsections (1.5) and (1.6) of this section, the
Page 4, Line 19division may issue the following resident and nonresident licenses and shall collect the following fees:
Page 4, Line 20 Fees
ResidentNonresident
Page 5, Line 1(cc) Bison374.222,756.74
Page 5, Line 2SECTION 4. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-6-109, amend (3)(b) and (3.4)(a)(VII); and add (3.4)(a)(VIII) as follows:
Page 5, Line 333-6-109. Wildlife - illegal possession. (3) A person
whoPage 5, Line 4violates subsection (1) or (2) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor
Page 5, Line 5and, depending upon the wildlife involved, shall be punished upon
Page 5, Line 6conviction by a fine or imprisonment, or both, and license suspension points or suspension or revocation of license privileges as follows:
Page 5, Line 7(b) For each bison, bald eagle, golden eagle, rocky mountain goat,
Page 5, Line 8desert bighorn sheep, American peregrine falcon, or rocky mountain
Page 5, Line 9bighorn sheep, a fine of not less than one thousand dollars and not more
Page 5, Line 10than one hundred thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than
Page 5, Line 11one year in the county jail, or both such fine and such imprisonment, and
Page 5, Line 12an assessment of twenty points. Upon conviction, the commission may
Page 5, Line 13suspend any or all license privileges of the person for a period of one year
Page 5, Line 14to life. A person
whoPage 5, Line 15golden eagle shall not be in violation of this section if the possession is authorized by 50 CFR 22.
Page 5, Line 16(3.4) (a) In addition to the criminal penalties listed in subsection
Page 5, Line 17(3) of this section, there may be assessed a further penalty in the
Page 5, Line 18following amount for each of the following big game animals illegally taken:
Page 5, Line 19(VII) For each pronghorn antelope with a horn length of at least fourteen inches, four thousand dollars; or
Page 5, Line 20(VIII) For each bison, ten thousand dollars.
Page 5, Line 21SECTION 5. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-6-110, amend (1) introductory portion and (1)(a) as follows:
Page 6, Line 133-6-110. Division action to recover possession and value of
Page 6, Line 2wildlife unlawfully taken. (1) The division may bring and maintain a
Page 6, Line 3civil action against any person, in the name of the people of the state, to
Page 6, Line 4recover possession or value or both possession and value of any wildlife
Page 6, Line 5taken in violation of articles 1 to 6 of this
titlePage 6, Line 6may issue in such an action without bond. No previous demand for
Page 6, Line 7possession shall be necessary. If costs or damages are adjudged in favor
Page 6, Line 8of the defendant, the same shall be paid out of the wildlife cash fund
Page 6, Line 9created in section 33-1-112. Neither the pendency of such civil action
Page 6, Line 10nor a criminal prosecution for the same taking shall be a bar to the other;
Page 6, Line 11nor shall anything in this section affect the right of seizure under other
Page 6, Line 12provisions of articles 1 to 6 of this
titlePage 6, Line 13considered the minimum value of the wildlife unlawfully taken or
Page 6, Line 14possessed and may be recovered in addition to recovery of possession of the wildlife:
Page 6, Line 15(a) For each bison, eagle, member of an endangered species, rocky mountain goat, moose, rocky mountain bighorn
Page 6, Line 16sheep, or lynx ...........................................................................$ 1,000
Page 6, Line 17SECTION 6. Appropriation. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year,
Page 6, Line 18$75,000 is appropriated to the department of natural resources for use by
Page 6, Line 19the division of parks and wildlife. This appropriation is from the wildlife
Page 6, Line 20cash fund created in section 33-1-112 (1)(a), C.R.S. To implement this act, the division may use this appropriation for wildlife operations.
Page 6, Line 21SECTION 7. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
Page 6, Line 22takes effect January 1, 2026; except that, if a referendum petition is filed
Page 6, Line 23pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this
Page 7, Line 1act or an item, section, or part of this act within the ninety-day period
Page 7, Line 2after final adjournment of the general assembly, then the act, item,
Page 7, Line 3section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the
Page 7, Line 4general election to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take
Page 7, Line 5effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.