Call To Action

Fellow Beekeeper,

The Lone Star Beekeepers Association has been working for you reducing unnecessary burdens and fees that beekeepers have to pay.

Two bills before the 2019 Texas Legislature eliminate unnecessary efforts for beekeepers. Let your representatives know how these bills affect you as a beekeeper. Additional background information is available through fact sheet on the bills that have been filed.

 

 

 

SB 677 / HB 1723

Currently a beekeeper must obtain a permit from the Chief Apiary Inspector prior to transporting honey bees across a county line. Violation is a Class C misdemeanor.
SB 677 / HB 1723 removes this burden from beekeepers.
Representative Meza and LSBA Directors
Representative Terry Meza meets with Directors of LSBA to discuss HB 1723

 

The Intrastate Transport permit requirement was supposed to help control the spread of bee diseases & pests and stop the migration of Africanized bees, but has failed to do so. The current regulation only serves to burden beekeepers with unnecessary paper work and fees.

SB 677 / HB1723 will eliminate the county to county transport permit and allow beekeepers to transport bees across county lines without the need to spend ineffective time and money.

 

 

 

How You Can Help

If you support repeal of the Intrastate Bee Transport Permit, call or email your State Representative and Senator and urge them to help move it forward. A phone call has the greatest impact; just remember to keep the conversation polite and to-the-point. If you speak with the staffer, briefly share (in 2-4 sentences) why the bills matter to you. If you prefer email, your Representative’s email address is FirstName.LastName@house.texas.gov .Your Senator’s email address is FirstName.LastName@senate.texas.gov .

 

  • Let the legislators know you support this legislation by:
    • Contacting your local state representative & senator
  • Contacting the office of Senate Agriculture Committee Chair, Senator Bob Hall, sponsor of SB 677
  • Contact the office of House Agriculture & Livestock Committee Member, State Representative Terry Meza, sponsor of HB 1723
  • Encourage your beekeeping association to support it by:
    1. Adopting a resolution in support of the repeal.
    2. Sending a copy of the signed adopted resolution to members of the Senate & House Agriculture Committee. CLICK HERE to see a sample resolution, or create your own.