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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2715 FILED ON: 1/19/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 843 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Mary S. Keefe |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act to protect pollinator habitat. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Mary S. Keefe15th Worcester1/13/2023Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/19/2023Daniel M. Donahue16th Worcester1/24/2023Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex1/25/2023David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf17th Worcester1/25/2023Joseph D. McKenna18th Worcester1/30/2023John Barrett, III1st Berkshire1/30/2023Brian M. Ashe2nd Hampden1/31/2023Brian W. Murray10th Worcester2/1/2023Patricia A. Duffy5th Hampden2/2/2023David M. Rogers24th Middlesex2/3/2023Christine P. Barber34th Middlesex2/3/2023Sally P. Kerans13th Essex2/3/2023Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/6/2023Margaret R. Scarsdale1st Middlesex2/6/2023Michelle M. DuBois10th Plymouth2/7/2023Tricia Farley-Bouvier2nd Berkshire2/8/2023Susan Williams Gifford2nd Plymouth2/9/2023 2 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | Thomas M. Stanley9th Middlesex2/9/2023Daniel R. Carey2nd Hampshire2/10/2023Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.12th Hampden2/11/2023Colleen M. Garry36th Middlesex2/13/2023Patrick M. O'ConnorFirst Plymouth and Norfolk2/15/2023Paul McMurtry11th Norfolk2/15/2023Patrick Joseph Kearney4th Plymouth2/16/2023Bruce E. TarrFirst Essex and Middlesex2/21/2023Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex2/22/2023Bradley H. Jones, Jr.20th Middlesex2/24/2023William C. Galvin6th Norfolk3/1/2023David Paul Linsky5th Middlesex3/6/2023 1 of 3 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2715 FILED ON: 1/19/2023 |
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| 18 | 18 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 843 |
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| 19 | 19 | | By Representative Keefe of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 843) of Mary |
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| 20 | 20 | | S. Keefe and others for an investigation by a special commission (including members of the |
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| 21 | 21 | | General Court) relative to opportunities for improving pollinator health. Environment and |
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| 22 | 22 | | Natural Resources. |
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| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
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| 28 | 28 | | An Act to protect pollinator habitat. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. (a) There shall be a special commission established to study statewide |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2opportunities for improving pollinator health by increasing and enhancing native pollinator |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3habitat. |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4 The commission shall focus on identifying statewide opportunities for enhancing and |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5expanding pollinator habitat in both developed and natural areas such as farm field borders, |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6forest borders, residential areas, parks, urban areas, industrial areas, energy transmission |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7corridors, energy generating facilities and transportation corridors. |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8 The commission shall consider enhancing and expanding pollinator habitat for a broad |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9range of native and managed pollinators including but not limited to wild and managed bees, |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10butterflies, moths, beetles, ants, bats and birds. 2 of 3 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11 The commission shall report its findings, including any proposed legislation, to the house |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12and senate committees on ways and means, and the joint committee on environment, natural |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13resources and agriculture no later than March 1, 2024. |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14 The commission shall consist of 11 members including: |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15 1 member of the house of representatives, without a designating party; 1 member of the |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16senate, without a designating party; the secretary of energy and environmental affairs or a |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17designee, who shall serve as chair; the commissioner of the division of fisheries and wildlife, or a |
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| 48 | 48 | | 18designee; the commissioner of agricultural resources, or a designee; and 6 members appointed by |
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| 49 | 49 | | 19the governor: 1 of whom shall be a university of massachusetts faculty member specializing in |
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| 50 | 50 | | 20the science of pollinator health; 1 of whom shall be a representative of the university of |
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| 51 | 51 | | 21massachusetts extension with knowledge in crops which rely on pollinators and pollinator health; |
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| 52 | 52 | | 221 of whom shall represent an advocacy group for farmers; 1 of whom shall be a beekeeper |
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| 53 | 53 | | 23representing a regional or statewide beekeeping organization; 1 of whom shall represent an |
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| 54 | 54 | | 24advocacy group for nurseries; and 1 of whom shall represent a membership based non-profit |
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| 55 | 55 | | 25advocacy group dedicated to land protection. |
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| 56 | 56 | | 26 (b) The special commission shall examine issues relevant to pollinator health, including: |
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| 57 | 57 | | 27(i) identifying current laws and regulations in the commonwealth and other states and countries |
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| 58 | 58 | | 28related to protecting pollinators and pollinator health; (ii) studying public education and outreach |
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| 59 | 59 | | 29plans regarding pollinator habitat that have been successful in other states; (iii) identifying |
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| 60 | 60 | | 30adequacy of funding for efforts to promote or protect pollinator habitat; (iv) investigating the |
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| 61 | 61 | | 31means used by other states to gather data on populations of pollinators; (v) evaluating existing |
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| 62 | 62 | | 32best management practices for promoting pollinator health including, but not limited to, foraging 3 of 3 |
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| 63 | 63 | | 33and proper food source diversity; (vi) studying the use of agricultural and nonagricultural lands, |
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| 64 | 64 | | 34such as transportation corridors, energy transmission corridors, parks, and working forests, and |
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| 65 | 65 | | 35how they may be used to provide pollinator forage and unique opportunities to increase |
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| 66 | 66 | | 36pollinator populations; (vii) research and identify ways to expand and coordinate public |
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| 67 | 67 | | 37education programs outlining steps individuals and businesses can take to help address the loss |
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| 68 | 68 | | 38of pollinator habitat. |
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