Colorado 2025 Regular Session

Colorado Senate Bill SB053 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		First Regular Session
2	2		Seventy-fifth General Assembly
3	3		STATE OF COLORADO
4		-	~~REENGROSSED~~
5		-	This Version Includes All Amendments
6		-	~~Adopted~~ in the House of Introduction
	4	+	ENGROSSED
	5	+	This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted
	6	+	on Second Reading in the House of Introduction
7	7		LLS NO. 25-0204.01 Jery Payne x2157
8	8		SENATE BILL 25-053
9	9		Senate Committees House Committees
10	10		Agriculture & Natural Resources
11	11		Appropriations
12	12		A BILL FOR AN ACT
13	13		C
14	14		ONCERNING THE CLASSIFICATION OF BISON AS WILDLIFE UNLESS101
15	15		CLASSIFIED AS LIVESTOCK, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ,
16	16		102
17	17		MAKING AN APPROPRIATION .103
18	18		Bill Summary
19	19		(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
20	20		not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
21	21		passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
22	22		applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
23	23		http://leg.colorado.gov/
24	24		.)
25	25		American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee. The bill
26	26		classifies bison as big game wildlife unless the bison are livestock.
27	27		Classifying bison as wildlife means that hunting or taking one is illegal
28	28		unless authorized by rule of the parks and wildlife commission.
29	29		SENATE
30		-	3rd Reading Unamended
31		-	April 17, 2025
32		-	SENATE
33	30		Amended 2nd Reading
34	31		April 15, 2025
35	32		SENATE SPONSORSHIP
36		-	Danielson, Amabile, Ball, Bridges, Coleman, Cutter, Exum, Gonzales J., Jodeh, Kipp,
37		-	Kolker, Marchman, Michaelson Jenet, Sullivan, Wallace, Weissman, Winter F.
	33	+	Danielson,
38	34		HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
39	35		Joseph and Velasco, Duran
40	36		Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
41	37		Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
42	38		Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
43	39		SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly2
44	40		finds and declares that:3
45	41		(a) The history of the American bison is deeply intertwined with4
46	42		the history of indigenous peoples in North America. Once roaming the5
47	43		continent in vast herds numbering in the tens of millions, bison are a6
48	44		cornerstone of life for many American Indians and are revered as sacred7
49	45		relatives. Many American Indians and Tribal Nations continue to rely8
50	46		upon bison for survival, including for food, shelter, and clothing.9
51	47		(b) Among many tribal nations, the buffalo is regarded as a sacred10
52	48		relative. This relationship is deeply embedded in ceremonial traditions,11
53	49		including the Sundance, the Buffalo Ceremony, and the White-Buffalo12
54	50		Calf-Woman teachings. These ceremonies are not simply historical relics13
55	51		but are actively practiced today, reinforcing the spiritual, cultural, and14
56	52		communal well-being of native people. Additionally, many other tribes15
57	53		have traditional buffalo dances and other sacred rites honoring the16
58	54		buffalo's spiritual role. These ceremonies are vital to the continuation of17
59	55		traditional ways of life and connection to the natural world.18
60	56		(c) Recognizing the bison's critical role in the livelihood of19
61	57		indigenous peoples and in the campaign to continue European claim and20
62	58		control over lands inhabited by indigenous peoples, the United States21
63	59		government implemented a scorched-earth policy, granting military22
64	60		commanders the authority to decimate bison populations;23
65	61		(d) Over a span of 40 years, more than 30 million bison were24
66	62		killed. This mass extermination was not only wasteful and inhumane but25
67	63		also a calculated effort to undermine the cultural and physical survival of26
68	64		053-2- indigenous peoples.1
69	65		(e) Colonel Richard Irving Dodge infamously declared, "Kill2
70	66		every buffalo you can! Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone." The policy3
71	67		of killing bison had devastating impacts on American Indians and Tribal4
72	68		Nations and played a significant role in the federal government' s efforts5
73	69		to destroy tribal sovereignty. The resulting food and cultural scarcity6
74	70		played a significant role in the forced relocation of the plains peoples7
75	71		from Colorado in the late 1860s. It also contributed to the pressures8
76	72		restricting the Ute people to western Colorado.9
77	73		(f) By the time Colorado achieved statehood in 1876, hunting and10
78	74		habitat destruction caused by the development of farms, cities, and11
79	75		railroads had reduced the bison population to only a few hundred south12
80	76		of the Platte river;13
81	77		(g) Colorado seeks to protect, serve, and honor the enduring bond14
82	78		between bison and American Indians and Tribal Nations by classifying15
83	79		certain bison as wildlife; and16
84	80		(h) This action represents a step toward making amends for the17
85	81		attempted genocide of American Indians through the eradication of their18
86	82		food source, the bison.19
87	83		SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-1-102, amend (2)20
88	84		and (51); and add (2.6) as follows:21
89	85		33-1-102. Definitions - rules. As used in this title 33, unless the22
90	86		context otherwise requires:23
91	87		(2) "Big game" means elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose,24
92	88		rocky mountain bighorn sheep, desert bighorn sheep, rocky mountain25
93	89		goat, pronghorn antelope, black bear, mountain lion,
94	90		BISON THAT ARE26
95	91		WILDLIFE, and all species of large mammals that may be introduced or27
96	92		053
97	93		-3- transplanted into this state for hunting or are classified as big game by the1
98	94		commission.2
99	95		(2.6) "B
100	96		ISON" MEANS THE UNGULATE CLASSIFIED AS THE SPECIES3
101	97		B
102	98		OS BISON OR BISON BISON, KNOWN AS THE AMERICAN BISON.4
103	99
104	100		5
105	101		(51) (a) "Wildlife" means wild vertebrates, mollusks, and6
106	102		crustaceans, whether alive or dead, including any part, product, egg, or7
107	103		offspring thereof, that exist as a species in a natural wild state in their8
108	104		place of origin, presently or historically, except those species determined9
109	105		to be domestic animals by rule or regulation by OF the commission and10
110	106		the state agricultural commission. Such determination within this statute11
111	107		shall not affect other statutes or court decisions determining injury to12
112	108		persons or damage to property which THAT depend on the classification13
113	109		of animals by such statute or court decision as wild or domestic animals. 14
114	110		(b) "W
115	111		ILDLIFE" DOES NOT INCLUDE:
116	112		15
117	113		(I) P
118	114		RIVATELY OWNED CATTLE , INCLUDING PRIVATELY OWNED
119	115		16
120	116		BISON, BISON LEGALLY REDUCED TO CAPTIVITY , OR BISON THAT HAVE17
121	117		ESCAPED LAWFUL CAPTIVITY; OR18
122	118		(II) B
123	119		ISON OWNED BY OR LAWFULLY REDUCED TO CAPTIVITY BY AN
124	120		19
125	121		I
126	122		NDIAN TRIBE.
127	123		20
128	124		SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-4-102, add21
129	125		(1.4)(cc) as follows:22
130	126		33-4-102. Types of licenses and fees - rules. (1.4) Except as23
131	127		otherwise provided in subsections (1.5) and (1.6) of this section, the24
132	128		division may issue the following resident and nonresident licenses and25
133	129		shall collect the following fees:26
134	130		Fees 27
135	131		053
136	132		-4- Resident Nonresident 1
137	133		(cc) B
138	134		ISON
139	135		374.22 2,756.742
140	136		SECTION 4. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-6-109, amend3
141	137		(3)(b) and (3.4)(a)(VII); and add (3.4)(a)(VIII) as follows:4
142	138		33-6-109. Wildlife - illegal possession. (3) A person who THAT5
143	139		violates subsection (1) or (2) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor6
144	140		and, depending upon the wildlife involved, shall be punished upon7
145	141		conviction by a fine or imprisonment, or both, and license suspension8
146	142		points or suspension or revocation of license privileges as follows: 9
147	143		(b) For each
148	144		BISON, bald eagle, golden eagle, rocky mountain goat,
149	145		10
150	146		desert bighorn sheep, American peregrine falcon, or rocky mountain11
151	147		bighorn sheep, a fine of not less than one thousand dollars and not more12
152	148		than one hundred thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than13
153	149		one year in the county jail, or both such fine and such imprisonment, and14
154	150		an assessment of twenty points. Upon conviction, the commission may15
155	151		suspend any or all license privileges of the person for a period of one year16
156	152		to life. A person who THAT possesses all or a part of a bald eagle or17
157	153		golden eagle shall not be in violation of this section if the possession is18
158	154		authorized by 50 CFR 22.19
159	155		(3.4) (a) In addition to the criminal penalties listed in subsection20
160	156		(3) of this section, there may be assessed a further penalty in the21
161	157		following amount for each of the following big game animals illegally22
162	158		taken:23
163	159		(VII) For each pronghorn antelope with a horn length of at least24
164	160		fourteen inches, four thousand dollars;
165	161		OR
166	162		25
167	163		(VIII) F
168	164		OR EACH BISON, TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.
169	165		26
170	166		SECTION 5. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 33-6-110, amend (1)27
171	167		053
172	168		-5- introductory portion and (1)(a) as follows: 1
173	169		33-6-110. Division action to recover possession and value of2
174	170		wildlife unlawfully taken. (1) The division may bring and maintain a3
175	171		civil action against any person, in the name of the people of the state, to4
176	172		recover possession or value or both possession and value of any wildlife5
177	173		taken in violation of articles 1 to 6 of this title TITLE 33. A writ of replevin6
178	174		may issue in such an action without bond. No previous demand for7
179	175		possession shall be necessary. If costs or damages are adjudged in favor8
180	176		of the defendant, the same shall be paid out of the wildlife cash fund9
181	177		CREATED IN SECTION 33-1-112. Neither the pendency of such civil action10
182	178		nor a criminal prosecution for the same taking shall be a bar to the other;11
183	179		nor shall anything in this section affect the right of seizure under other12
184	180		provisions of articles 1 to 6 of this title TITLE 33. The following shall be13
185	181		considered the minimum value of the wildlife unlawfully taken or14
186	182		possessed and may be recovered in addition to recovery of possession of15
187	183		the wildlife:16
188	184		(a) For each
189	185		BISON, eagle, member of an endangered species,
190	186		17
191	187		rocky mountain goat, moose, rocky mountain bighorn 18
192	188		sheep, or lynx ...........................................................................$ 1,00019
193	189		SECTION 6. Appropriation. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year,20
194	190		$75,000 is appropriated to the department of natural resources for use by21
195	191		the division of parks and wildlife. This appropriation is from the wildlife22
196	192		cash fund created in section 33-1-112 (1)(a), C.R.S. To implement this23
197	193		act, the division may use this appropriation for wildlife operations.24
198	194		SECTION 7. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act25
199	195		takes effect January 1, 2026; except that, if a referendum petition is filed26
200	196		pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this27
201	197		053
202	198		-6- act or an item, section, or part of this act within the ninety-day period1
203	199		after final adjournment of the general assembly, then the act, item,2
204	200		section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the3
205	201		general election to be held in November 2026 and, in such case, will take4
206	202		effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the5
207	203		governor.6
208	204		053
209	205		-7-