WEST virginia legislature
2025 regular session
Originating
Senate Bill 943
By Senators Stuart, Azinger, Bartlett, Charnock, Deeds, Fuller, Hart, Martin, Rose, Rucker, Tarr, and Taylor
[Originating in the Committee on the Judiciary; reported March 31, 2025]
A BILL to amend and reenact §19-13-1 and §19-13-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to clarifying that apiaries are protected agricultural operations; and providing findings of the West Virginia Apiary Act.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
(a) This article may be cited shall be known as the West Virginia Apiary Act.
(b) The Legislature finds that pollinators such as honeybees, have been in drastic decline in this state and nationwide for several decades.
(c) The Legislature finds that protecting pollinators, including, but not limited to, honeybees, is of critical importance to maintaining and building our state’s economy, specifically agricultural practices which are reliant on pollinators.
(d) The Legislature finds that the practice of beekeeping has had a positive economic impact to the state of West Virginia and as well as to the food security of this state’s residents, and is critical to maintaining both.
(e) The Legislature further finds that the private keeping and maintaining of honeybee colonies in apiaries by West Virginia citizens is critical to increasing pollinators on which our state’s agricultural operations rely.
(f) Accordingly, the Legislature finds that beekeeping and apiaries are agricultural operations as defined by §19-19-2(a) of this code, the practice of which shall be regulated by the Commissioner of Agriculture.