BILL NUMBER: AJR 29AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 24, 2012 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 6, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Allen (Principal coauthor: Senator Leno) FEBRUARY 24, 2012 Relative tohoneybees.pollinators. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AJR 29, as amended, Allen. Pollinators. This measure would urge the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to officially recognize the importance of pollinators to our food supply and environment, to declare the urgency of Colony Collapse Disorder, and to promote healthy environments for all pollinators. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, Bees and other pollinators are essential to the majority of the flowering plants on our planet and to the production of more than 130 different food crops; and WHEREAS, Some farmers and growers depend on pollinators for seed production for crops grown in subsequent years; and WHEREAS, Honeybees are the main pollinators on which we depend, but native pollinators, such as other species of bees, are also essential; and WHEREAS, Almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, blueberries, carrots, cantaloupes, cherries, cucumbers, cranberries, kiwis, melons, onions, pears, plums, prunes, and more, depend on honeybee pollination; and WHEREAS, Poor pollination leads to poor fruit development; and WHEREAS, Pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food that we eat; and WHEREAS, In 2006, honeybees in the United States began disappearing in large numbers--a phenomenon called "colony collapse disorder"; and WHEREAS, Multiple, interacting causes are likely contributors to "colony collapse disorder," including pathogens, habitat loss, and pesticides; and WHEREAS, Each year since 2006, commercial beekeepers have reported annual losses of bees in excess of what would be considered normal; and WHEREAS, Honeybees are a keystone indicator species and their decline points to broader environmental degradation; and WHEREAS, Pollinator population declines may be a disproportionately significant piece of the current collapse in biodiversity that some biologists believe poses an even greater threat to humanity than climate change, which contributes to it; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR), to officially recognize the critical importance of pollinators to our food supply and to our environment; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature urges the EPA, the USDA, the CDFA, the DFG, and the CDPR to declare the urgency of Colony Collapse Disorder, as well as for further identifying the reasons underlying Colony Collapse Disorder; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature urges the EPA, the USDA, the CDFA, the DFG, and the CDPR to promote healthy environments for all pollinators through existing programs and new funding opportunities; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the office of the Governor, the Secretary of the Senate, and the author for appropriate distribution.