Bill Text: NY A08704 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires any person including certified and licensed responsible pesticide applicators and commercial pesticide applicators and operators operating in the state to contact the division of plant industry of the department of agriculture and markets by phone at least twenty-four hours in advance of extermination of honey bees to obtain assistance in trying to relocate nuisance honey bee colonies or hanging swarms of honey bees, in lieu of destroying such honey bees; makes related provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to agriculture [A08704 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A08704-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8704

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    October 23, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Agriculture

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  agriculture and markets law, in relation to the
          preservation of honey bee colonies

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new
     2  article 15-B to read as follows:
     3                                ARTICLE 15-B
     4                     PRESERVATION OF HONEY BEE COLONIES
     5  Section 175-v. Relocating honey bee colonies.
     6    § 175-v. Relocating honey bee colonies. 1. To preserve honey bee colo-
     7  nies in the state, any person including certified and licensed responsi-
     8  ble pesticide applicators and commercial pesticide applicators and oper-
     9  ators operating in  the  state  shall  contact  the  division  of  plant
    10  industry  of  the  department  by  phone  at  least twenty-four hours in
    11  advance of extermination of honey bees to obtain assistance in trying to
    12  relocate nuisance honey bee colonies or hanging swarms of honey bees, in
    13  lieu of destroying such honey bees. Honey bees shall  not  be  destroyed
    14  without prior approval from such division.
    15    2.  In  the event the division of plant industry is not reachable, any
    16  person including certified and licensed responsible  pesticide  applica-
    17  tors and commercial pesticide applicators and operators shall attempt to
    18  contact  no fewer than three beekeepers identified by the local beekeep-
    19  ing association found on the department's website  as  swarm  collectors
    20  servicing the affected county, in order to obtain assistance in relocat-
    21  ing  nuisance honey bee colonies or hanging swarms before nuisance honey
    22  bee colonies or hanging swarms of honey bees may be destroyed.
    23    § 2. This act shall take effect  immediately.  Effective  immediately,
    24  the  addition,  amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
    25  sary for the implementation of  this  act  on  its  effective  date  are
    26  authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13902-02-9