The Don Young Doug LaMalfa Indian Buffalo Management Act authorizes the Department of the Interior to help Native American tribes restore and manage buffalo populations on tribal lands for cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and economic purposes. The bill recognizes the historical importance of buffalo to Native peoples and directs the federal government to work with tribes through contracts, grants, and technical assistance to support buffalo restoration programs, including establishing meat processing facilities and other related commercial activities. The legislation also allows the Interior Department to transfer surplus buffalo from federal lands to tribal lands at no cost and requires federal consultation with tribes on buffalo management decisions while protecting sensitive tribal information. The bill emphasizes tribal sovereignty and does not change existing treaty rights, with the authority to fund these programs expiring after seven years unless Congress extends it.
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