Bill Text: HI SB765 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To Beekeeping.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-23 - Referred to AEN, WAM/CPN. [SB765 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2025-SB765-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
765 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO beekeeping.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
The legislature further finds that the department of agriculture currently manages and monitors the beekeeping industry in the State. However, its ability to monitor, respond to, and prevent disease or pest outbreaks, as well as pursue and distribute financial resources available to beekeepers, could be more efficiently achieved with more up-to-date data.
The legislature also finds that new beekeepers who do not have proper training or information on how to safely manage bees may cause harm to both the beekeeping industry or nearby properties, increasing the risk of personal liability.
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to:
(1) Clarify the registration process for beekeepers with the department of agriculture;
(2) Require the department of agriculture to provide guidance and support to registered beekeepers to help beekeepers adhere to certain industry standards and best management practices in beekeeping; and
(3) Establish a limitation on liability for any registered beekeeper who follows industry standards and best practices.
SECTION 2. Section 142-100, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"[[]§142-100 Beekeepers, registration; apiary program.[]]
(a)
Beekeepers may register with the department of agriculture, on forms
prescribed and prepared by the department, which shall include the following
information:
(1) The name, address, and contact information for
the beekeeper; and
(2) Other information that may assist the
department in compiling accurate information on Hawaii's beekeeping industry.
(b) The department of agriculture shall keep
registration information confidential subject to the limitations on
confidentiality imposed under chapter 92F; provided that the [name and
business address of each registrant shall be made publicly available by the
department; and provided further that the] department may compile
statistics based on the information[,] pursuant to section 141-1.
(c) The registration shall be effective for a
period of [one year,] five years, and shall be renewed at the end
of the [one-year] five-year period.
(d)
The department of agriculture shall advise and support the efforts of
registered beekeepers to adhere to the following industry standards and best
management practices:
(1) Keep colonies at least twenty-five feet from property lines; provided that a distance between ten and twenty-five feet shall be adequate if:
(A) Beekeepers ensure that colonies face the direction opposite the property line; or
(B) Beekeepers situate colonies behind a flyover barrier that directs bee flight paths away from the property line;
(2) Keep colonies in hives with removable frames that shall be kept in sound and usable condition;
(3) Maintain an adequate and accessible supply of fresh water on-site, including landing sites for the bees to drink from;
(4) Ensure that hives are protected from bright lights at night;
(5) Manage colonies in a controlled manner to prevent swarming;
(6) Adhere to storage and sanitation practices that prevent disease and theft; mitigate pests, including small hive beetles, wax moths, and varroa mites; and support the overall health of the hives;
(7) Thoroughly clean reused hive and beekeeping equipment of hive products, including old comb and honey;
(8) Grow flowers and plant species where practicable for all seasons that are suitable for regional climates to support bee activity year-round; and
(9) Requeen hives and colonies if the apiary begins to demonstrate more aggressive behavior.
[(d)]
(e) The department of
agriculture shall establish an apiary program, which [may] shall
include the following positions, to carry out the purposes of this [[]section[]]:
(1) One apiary specialist;
(2) One apiary planner; and
(3) Two apiary technicians.
(f)
A beekeeper that is actively registered with the department of
agriculture pursuant to subsection (a) and in good faith adheres to the
industry standards and best management practices established in subsection (d)
shall not be liable for any injury resulting to any person arising from the
beekeeper's apiary, except for damages that result from the beekeeper's gross
negligence or wanton acts or omissions.
(g)
As used in this section:
"Apiary" means the assembly of
one or more managed colonies and their hives kept at a single location.
"Bee" means all life stages of
the common domesticated European honeybee.
"Bee" does not include wasps, hornets, African subspecies, or
Africanized hybrids.
"Colony" means an aggregate of bees consisting principally of workers, but ideally also consists of one queen, and includes drones, brood, combs, and honey.
"Disease" means any condition adversely affecting bees or their brood, including bacteria, viruses, invertebrate pests, and the presence of undesirable genetic characteristics.
"Flyover barrier" means a
solid wall, fence, dense vegetation, or combination thereof that encourages
bees to fly over rather than fly through.
"Hive" means a structure of housing for a colony."
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the department of agriculture to register and provide support to beekeepers pursuant to this Act, including the establishment of positions for the department's apiary program.
The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of agriculture for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun before its effective date.
SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
DOA; Beekeepers; Registration; Industry Standards; Best Management Practices; Apiary Program; Limitation on Liability; Appropriations
Description:
Clarifies the registration process for beekeepers with the Department of Agriculture. Requires the Department of Agriculture to provide guidance and support to registered beekeepers to help beekeepers adhere to certain industry standards and best management practices. Establishes a limitation on liability for any registered beekeeper who follows industry standards and best practices. Appropriates funds.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
