| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the establishment of the Bee Pollinator Goals Task |
|
|
Force to develop and report on statewide pollinator goals. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 131, Agriculture Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 131.011 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 131.011. BEE POLLINATOR GOALS TASK FORCE. (a) The Bee |
|
|
Pollinator Goals Task Force is established to develop statewide bee |
|
|
pollinator goals and metrics and report on the state's progress |
|
|
toward those goals and metrics on a biennial basis. |
|
|
(b) The task force consists of members appointed by the |
|
|
governor who have relevant experience in agriculture, |
|
|
conservation, education, or local government from the following |
|
|
state agencies: |
|
|
(1) the department; |
|
|
(2) the Texas Animal Health Commission; |
|
|
(3) the Texas Education Agency; |
|
|
(4) the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; |
|
|
(5) the Texas Feed and Fertilizer Control Service; |
|
|
(6) the Office of the Texas State Chemist; |
|
|
(7) the Department of State Health Services; |
|
|
(8) the General Land Office; |
|
|
(9) the Parks and Wildlife Department; |
|
|
(10) the Railroad Commission of Texas; |
|
|
(11) Texas A&M AgriLife Research; and |
|
|
(12) the Texas Apiary Inspection Service. |
|
|
(c) The governor shall designate a member who represents the |
|
|
department to be the chair of the task force. Members serve at the |
|
|
pleasure of the governor. |
|
|
(d) State agencies with members on the task force shall |
|
|
provide administrative support for the task force. |
|
|
(e) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, |
|
|
the task force shall submit a report to the members of the |
|
|
legislature on the factors contributing to the decline of the bee |
|
|
population in this state, including habitat loss, pesticides, |
|
|
diseases, and parasites, and recommend feasible initiatives that, |
|
|
when implemented, will stop the spread of bee-related diseases, |
|
|
sustain this state's bee population, and contribute toward reaching |
|
|
the goals and metrics developed by the task force. |
|
|
(f) The report under Subsection (e) must include: |
|
|
(1) recommendations for: |
|
|
(A) the research needs of this state in the field |
|
|
of bee pollination; |
|
|
(B) the establishment of statewide pollination |
|
|
policies; and |
|
|
(C) state funding to reduce the significant loss |
|
|
of bee pollinators in this state to help achieve statewide |
|
|
pollinator goals; and |
|
|
(2) information on: |
|
|
(A) interagency collaboration on pollinator |
|
|
protection efforts and methods to improve coordination of the |
|
|
policies and programs of member state agencies to maximize the |
|
|
benefits from those efforts; |
|
|
(B) ways to raise public awareness of pollinator |
|
|
issues; and |
|
|
(C) the effectiveness of state agency pollinator |
|
|
programs, reports, and recommendations. |
|
|
SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
|
|
of this Act, the governor shall make the appointments to the Bee |
|
|
Pollinator Goals Task Force as described by Section 131.011, |
|
|
Agriculture Code, as added by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |