HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2007        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 731

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Keiko M. Orrall

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to Ensure Proper Stewardship of Honeybees by the Commonwealth.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Keiko M. Orrall

12th Bristol

1/15/2015

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

1/29/2015

Bradford R. Hill

4th Essex

1/30/2015

Bruce E. Tarr

First Essex and Middlesex

1/30/2015

Sarah K. Peake

4th Barnstable

2/4/2015

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

2/4/2015

F. Jay Barrows

1st Bristol

2/4/2015

Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr.

5th Worcester

2/4/2015

William N. Brownsberger

Second Suffolk and Middlesex

9/3/2019

Angelo L. D'Emilia

8th Plymouth

1/30/2015

Shawn Dooley

9th Norfolk

1/22/2015

Kimberly N. Ferguson

1st Worcester

1/21/2015

Colleen M. Garry

36th Middlesex

1/22/2015

Susan Williams Gifford

2nd Plymouth

1/23/2015

Paul K. Frost

7th Worcester

2/4/2015

Steven S. Howitt

4th Bristol

1/26/2015

Donald F. Humason, Jr.

Second Hampden and Hampshire

2/4/2015

James M. Kelcourse

1st Essex

2/4/2015

Mathew Muratore

1st Plymouth

2/4/2015

Susannah M. Whipps Lee

2nd Franklin

2/4/2015

Kate Hogan

3rd Middlesex

9/3/2019

David T. Vieira

3rd Barnstable

2/4/2015

Richard J. Ross

Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex

2/4/2015

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

9/3/2019

Stephen Kulik

1st Franklin

9/3/2019

Paul A. Schmid, III

8th Bristol

9/3/2019

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

9/3/2019

Jeffrey N. Roy

10th Norfolk

9/3/2019

Timothy R. Madden

Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket

9/3/2019

Kevin J. Kuros

8th Worcester

9/3/2019

Carolyn C. Dykema

8th Middlesex

9/3/2019

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

9/3/2019

Tackey Chan

2nd Norfolk

9/3/2019

Benjamin Swan

11th Hampden

9/3/2019

Theodore C. Speliotis

13th Essex

9/3/2019

James Arciero

2nd Middlesex

9/3/2019

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

9/3/2019

Leonard Mirra

2nd Essex

2/4/2015

Jonathan D. Zlotnik

2nd Worcester

2/4/2015

Thomas J. Calter

12th Plymouth

9/3/2019

Denise C. Garlick

13th Norfolk

2/4/2015

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

2/4/2015


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2007        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 731

By Mrs. Orrall of Lakeville, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 731) of Keiko M. Orrall and others for legislation to establish an advisory committee on the protection of honeybees in the Commonwealth.  Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act to Ensure Proper Stewardship of Honeybees by the Commonwealth.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary the commissioner of the department of agricultural resources shall establish an advisory committee charged with evaluating honeybee protection efforts established under MGL Chapter 128 Sections 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 36a and 36B. The committee shall evaluate the effectiveness of said law and subsequent regulations and policies in protecting the health of honeybee populations in the Commonwealth and shall recommendations for change to the legislature and the department.

The committee shall be comprised of representatives of 2 county beekeeper associations, a cranberry grower, an apple grower and a vegetable grower to be appointed by the commissioner, as well as a representative of the MA Farm Bureau Federation, the MA Beekeepers Association as appointed by the board of directors of those organizations, and a representative of the UMASS Extension. The chair shall be elected by the members of the committee. No member of the committee shall be, or have been, employed by the department of agricultural resources.

Within 18 months of passage of this bill, the committee shall present a report on its findings and recommendations. It shall meet at least 4 times during that period at geographically separate locations throughout the commonwealth. All meetings shall be open to the public and subject to appropriate open meeting requirements.