Bill Text: TX HB136 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to pollinator health.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-04-01 - Left pending in committee [HB136 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB136-Introduced.html
| 86R1859 BEF-D | ||
| By: González of El Paso | H.B. No. 136 | |
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| relating to pollinator health. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 131, Agriculture Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Sections 131.011 and 131.012 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 131.011. POLLINATOR HEALTH EDUCATION. (a) The Texas | ||
| A&M AgriLife Extension Service, in consultation with the | ||
| department, shall develop educational materials regarding the best | ||
| practices for avoiding adverse effects from pesticides on | ||
| populations of bees and other pollinating insects. The educational | ||
| materials must include information on measures that pesticide | ||
| applicators may take to protect honeybees and bumblebees. The | ||
| Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the department shall | ||
| jointly design the requirements to ensure that any pesticide | ||
| applicator applying or supervising the application of a pesticide | ||
| is knowledgeable regarding alternatives to, the appropriateness | ||
| of, and precautions for pesticide use that may be injurious to the | ||
| health of bees and other pollinating insects. | ||
| (b) The department shall make the educational materials | ||
| described in this section a part of the education required to obtain | ||
| a pesticide applicator license under Chapter 76. | ||
| Sec. 131.012. TASK FORCE ON POLLINATOR HEALTH. (a) In this | ||
| section, "task force" means the task force on pollinator health | ||
| established under this section. | ||
| (b) The task force consists of the following 10 members: | ||
| (1) one member of the senate, appointed by the | ||
| lieutenant governor after consultation with the speaker of the | ||
| house of representatives, who serves as a nonvoting member of the | ||
| task force; | ||
| (2) one member of the house of representatives, | ||
| appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives after | ||
| consultation with the lieutenant governor, who is from a different | ||
| political party than the member appointed under Subdivision (1) and | ||
| who serves as a nonvoting member of the task force; | ||
| (3) one member, appointed by the governor, who is a | ||
| university faculty member specializing in the science of pollinator | ||
| health; | ||
| (4) one member, appointed by the governor, | ||
| representing an advocacy group for nurseries and greenhouse | ||
| producers; | ||
| (5) one member, appointed by the governor, | ||
| representing an advocacy group for farmers; | ||
| (6) one member, appointed by the governor, | ||
| representing an advocacy group dedicated to the protection of | ||
| pollinators and invertebrates; | ||
| (7) one member, appointed by the governor, | ||
| representing an advocacy group dedicated to environmental | ||
| protection; | ||
| (8) one member, appointed by the governor, | ||
| representing an advocacy group for retailers; | ||
| (9) one member, appointed by the governor, who is | ||
| certified as a master gardener by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension | ||
| Service and who represents the public; and | ||
| (10) one member, appointed by the governor, who is a | ||
| beekeeper and who represents the public. | ||
| (c) The task force shall undertake activities to examine | ||
| issues relevant to pollinator health, including: | ||
| (1) studying proposed and enacted pesticide | ||
| regulations from other states and countries that are more | ||
| protective of pollinator health than the pesticide regulations of | ||
| the United States Environmental Protection Agency; | ||
| (2) studying public education and outreach plans | ||
| regarding pollinator health that have been successful in other | ||
| states; | ||
| (3) evaluating the effectiveness of applicator | ||
| licensing and other legal requirements, and of any state or federal | ||
| incentives, in matters affecting pollinator health; | ||
| (4) identifying possible funding streams for efforts | ||
| to promote or protect pollinator health; | ||
| (5) investigating the means used by other states to | ||
| gather data on populations of bees or other pollinating insects; | ||
| and | ||
| (6) evaluating existing best management practices for | ||
| applying neonicotinoids in a manner that avoids harming pollinating | ||
| insects. | ||
| (d) The task force may take actions necessary and proper to | ||
| carry out the work of the task force, including scheduling hearings | ||
| and taking testimony on matters related to pollinator health. | ||
| (e) A majority of the voting members of the task force | ||
| constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. | ||
| (f) Official action by the task force requires the approval | ||
| of five or more voting members of the task force. | ||
| (g) The task force shall elect one of its voting members to | ||
| serve as presiding officer. | ||
| (h) The appropriate appointing officer shall appoint a | ||
| qualified person to fill a vacancy on the task force. | ||
| (i) The task force shall meet at times and places specified | ||
| by the call of the presiding officer or of a majority of the voting | ||
| members of the task force. | ||
| (j) The task force may adopt bylaws necessary for the | ||
| operation of the task force. | ||
| (k) Not later than October 1, 2020, the task force shall | ||
| submit a report, which may include recommendations for legislation, | ||
| to the standing committees of the senate and the house of | ||
| representatives with primary jurisdiction over agriculture. The | ||
| task force may provide progress reports to those committees before | ||
| October 1, 2020. | ||
| (l) The department shall provide staff support to the task | ||
| force. | ||
| (m) Members of the task force who are not members of the | ||
| legislature are not entitled to compensation but may be reimbursed | ||
| for actual and necessary travel and other expenses incurred in the | ||
| performance of their official duties in the manner and amounts | ||
| provided for in the General Appropriations Act. | ||
| (n) Each state agency shall assist the task force in the | ||
| performance of its duties and, to the extent permitted by laws | ||
| relating to confidentiality, shall furnish information and advice | ||
| that the members of the task force consider necessary to perform | ||
| their duties. | ||
| (o) This section expires December 31, 2020. | ||
| SECTION 2. Not later than October 1, 2019, the relevant | ||
| appointing authorities shall appoint the members of the task force | ||
| on pollinator health under Section 131.012(b), Agriculture Code, as | ||
| added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
