Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1128 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R448 BEF-D
2	2	By: Powell S.B. No. 1128
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to pollinator health.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 131, Agriculture Code, is
10	10	amended by adding Sections 131.011 and 131.012 to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 131.011. POLLINATOR HEALTH EDUCATION. (a) The Texas
12	12	A&M AgriLife Extension Service, in consultation with the
13	13	department, shall develop educational materials regarding the best
14	14	practices for avoiding adverse effects from pesticides on
15	15	populations of bees and other pollinating insects. The educational
16	16	materials must include information on measures that pesticide
17	17	applicators may take to protect honeybees and bumblebees. The
18	18	Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the department shall
19	19	jointly design the requirements to ensure that any pesticide
20	20	applicator applying or supervising the application of a pesticide
21	21	is knowledgeable regarding alternatives to, the appropriateness
22	22	of, and precautions for pesticide use that may be injurious to the
23	23	health of bees and other pollinating insects.
24	24	(b) The department shall make the educational materials
25	25	described in this section a part of the education required to obtain
26	26	a pesticide applicator license under Chapter 76.
27	27	Sec. 131.012. TASK FORCE ON POLLINATOR HEALTH. (a) In this
28	28	section, "task force" means the task force on pollinator health
29	29	established under this section.
30	30	(b) The task force consists of the following 10 members:
31	31	(1) one member of the senate, appointed by the
32	32	lieutenant governor after consultation with the speaker of the
33	33	house of representatives, who serves as a nonvoting member of the
34	34	task force;
35	35	(2) one member of the house of representatives,
36	36	appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives after
37	37	consultation with the lieutenant governor, who is from a different
38	38	political party than the member appointed under Subdivision (1) and
39	39	who serves as a nonvoting member of the task force;
40	40	(3) one member, appointed by the governor, who is a
41	41	university faculty member specializing in the science of pollinator
42	42	health;
43	43	(4) one member, appointed by the governor,
44	44	representing an advocacy group for nurseries and greenhouse
45	45	producers;
46	46	(5) one member, appointed by the governor,
47	47	representing an advocacy group for farmers;
48	48	(6) one member, appointed by the governor,
49	49	representing an advocacy group dedicated to the protection of
50	50	pollinators and invertebrates;
51	51	(7) one member, appointed by the governor,
52	52	representing an advocacy group dedicated to environmental
53	53	protection;
54	54	(8) one member, appointed by the governor,
55	55	representing an advocacy group for retailers;
56	56	(9) one member, appointed by the governor, who is
57	57	certified as a master gardener by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
58	58	Service and who represents the public; and
59	59	(10) one member, appointed by the governor, who is a
60	60	beekeeper and who represents the public.
61	61	(c) The task force shall undertake activities to examine
62	62	issues relevant to pollinator health, including:
63	63	(1) studying proposed and enacted pesticide
64	64	regulations from other states and countries that are more
65	65	protective of pollinator health than the pesticide regulations of
66	66	the United States Environmental Protection Agency;
67	67	(2) studying public education and outreach plans
68	68	regarding pollinator health that have been successful in other
69	69	states;
70	70	(3) evaluating the effectiveness of applicator
71	71	licensing and other legal requirements, and of any state or federal
72	72	incentives, in matters affecting pollinator health;
73	73	(4) identifying possible funding streams for efforts
74	74	to promote or protect pollinator health;
75	75	(5) investigating the means used by other states to
76	76	gather data on populations of bees or other pollinating insects;
77	77	and
78	78	(6) evaluating existing best management practices for
79	79	applying neonicotinoids in a manner that avoids harming pollinating
80	80	insects.
81	81	(d) The task force may take actions necessary and proper to
82	82	carry out the work of the task force, including scheduling hearings
83	83	and taking testimony on matters related to pollinator health.
84	84	(e) A majority of the voting members of the task force
85	85	constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business.
86	86	(f) Official action by the task force requires the approval
87	87	of five or more voting members of the task force.
88	88	(g) The task force shall elect one of its voting members to
89	89	serve as presiding officer.
90	90	(h) The appropriate appointing officer shall appoint a
91	91	qualified person to fill a vacancy on the task force.
92	92	(i) The task force shall meet at times and places specified
93	93	by the call of the presiding officer or of a majority of the voting
94	94	members of the task force.
95	95	(j) The task force may adopt bylaws necessary for the
96	96	operation of the task force.
97	97	(k) Not later than October 1, 2022, the task force shall
98	98	submit a report, which may include recommendations for legislation,
99	99	to the standing committees of the senate and the house of
100	100	representatives with primary jurisdiction over agriculture. The
101	101	task force may provide progress reports to those committees before
102	102	October 1, 2022.
103	103	(l) The department shall provide staff support to the task
104	104	force.
105	105	(m) Members of the task force who are not members of the
106	106	legislature are not entitled to compensation but may be reimbursed
107	107	for actual and necessary travel and other expenses incurred in the
108	108	performance of their official duties in the manner and amounts
109	109	provided for in the General Appropriations Act.
110	110	(n) Each state agency shall assist the task force in the
111	111	performance of its duties and, to the extent permitted by laws
112	112	relating to confidentiality, shall furnish information and advice
113	113	that the members of the task force consider necessary to perform
114	114	their duties.
115	115	(o) This section expires December 31, 2022.
116	116	SECTION 2. Not later than October 1, 2021, the relevant
117	117	appointing authorities shall appoint the members of the task force
118	118	on pollinator health under Section 131.012(b), Agriculture Code, as
119	119	added by this Act.
120	120	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
121	121	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
122	122	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
123	123	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
124	124	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.