Senate Bill 25-053 Preamended

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.

• This Unofficial Version Includes Committee

• Amendments Not Yet Adopted on Second Reading

• 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)  Recognizing the bison's critical role in the livelihood of

• Page 2, Line 9indigenous peoples and in the campaign to continue European claim and

• Page 2, Line 10control over lands inhabited by indigenous peoples, the United States

• Page 2, Line 11government implemented a scorched-earth policy, granting military commanders the authority to decimate bison populations;

• Page 2, Line 12(c)  Over a span of 40 years, more than 30 million bison were

• Page 2, Line 13killed. This mass extermination was not only wasteful and inhumane but

• Page 2, Line 14also a calculated effort to undermine the cultural and physical survival of indigenous peoples.

• Page 2, Line 15(d)  Colonel Richard Irving Dodge infamously declared, "Kill

• Page 2, Line 16every buffalo you can! Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone." The policy

• Page 2, Line 17of killing bison had devastating impacts on American Indians and Tribal

• Page 2, Line 18Nations and played a significant role in the federal government' s efforts

• Page 2, Line 19to destroy tribal sovereignty. The resulting food and cultural scarcity

• Page 2, Line 20played a significant role in the forced relocation of the plains peoples

• Page 2, Line 21from Colorado in the late 1860s. It also contributed to the pressures

• Page 2, Line 22restricting the Ute people to western Colorado.

• Page 3, Line 1(e)  By the time Colorado achieved statehood in 1876, hunting and

• Page 3, Line 2habitat destruction caused by the development of farms, cities, and

• Page 3, Line 3railroads had reduced the bison population to only a few hundred south of the Platte river;

• Page 3, Line 4(f)  Colorado seeks to protect, serve, and honor the enduring bond

• Page 3, Line 5between bison and American Indians and Tribal Nations by classifying certain bison as wildlife; and

• Page 3, Line 6(g)  This action represents a step toward making amends for the

• Page 3, Line 7attempted genocide of American Indians through the eradication of their food source, the bison.

• Page 3, Line 8SECTION 2.  In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-1-102, amend(2) and (51); and add (2.6) as follows:

• Page 3, Line 933-1-102.  Definitions - rules. As used in this title 33, unless the context otherwise requires:

• Page 3, Line 10(2)  "Big game" means elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose,

• Page 3, Line 11rocky mountain bighorn sheep, desert bighorn sheep, rocky mountain

• Page 3, Line 12goat, pronghorn antelope, black bear, mountain lion, bison that are

• Page 3, Line 13wildlife, and all species of large mammals that may be introduced or

• Page 3, Line 14transplanted into this state for hunting or are classified as big game by the commission.

• Page 3, Line 15(2.6)  "Bison" means the ungulate classified as the species Bos bison or Bison bison, known as the American bison.

• Page 3, Line 17(51) (a)  "Wildlife" means wild vertebrates, mollusks, and

• Page 3, Line 18crustaceans, whether the animal is alive or dead, including if the

• Page 3, Line 19animal presently or historically exists as a species in a natural

• Page 3, Line 20wild state in its place of origin.

• (b)  "Wildlife" includes:

• Page 4, Line 1(I)  Bison; or

• Page 4, Line 2(II)  Any part, product, egg, or offspring thereof, that exist as a

• Page 4, Line 3species in a natural wild state in their place of origin, presently or historically, except of wildlife.

• Page 4, Line 4(c)  "Wildlife" does not include:

• Page 4, Line 5(I)  Privately owned cattle, including privately owned

• Page 4, Line 6bison, bison legally reduced to captivity, or bison that have escaped lawful captivity;

• Page 4, Line 7(II)  Bison owned by or lawfully reduced to captivity by an Indian tribe; or

• Page 4, Line 8(III)  Those species determined to be classified as domestic

• Page 4, Line 9animals by rule or regulation by of the commission and the state agricultural commission, by statute, or by court decision.

• Page 4, Line 10(d)  Such determination within this statute shall A classification

• Page 4, Line 11made under subsection(51)(c)(III)of this section does not affect

• Page 4, Line 12other statutes, rules, or court decisions determining injury to persons or

• Page 4, Line 13damage to property which that depend on the classification of animals

• Page 4, Line 14by such the other statute, rule, or court decision as livestock or wild or domestic animals.

• Page 4, Line 15SECTION 3.  Appropriation. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year,

• Page 4, Line 16$75,000 is appropriated to the department of natural resources for use by

• Page 4, Line 17the division of parks and wildlife. This appropriation is from the wildlife

• Page 4, Line 18cash 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 4, Line 19SECTION 4.  Act subject to petition - effective date. This act

• Page 4, Line 20takes effect January 1, 2026; except that, if a referendum petition is filed

• Page 5, Line 1pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this

• Page 5, Line 2act or an item, section, or part of this act within the ninety-day period

• Page 5, Line 3after final adjournment of the general assembly, then the act, item,

• Page 5, Line 4section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the

• Page 5, Line 5general election to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take

• Page 5, Line 6effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.