SB 677 is amended in Committee; LSBA changes from Support to Neutral
Senate Bill 677 was amended during Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on March 11th. As a result Lone Star Beekeepers has changed its position from support of SB 677 to neutral on the bill and made its neutral position known during the hearing.
Senator Bob Hall of District 2 introduced SB 677 at the request of the Lone Star Beekeepers Association. As introduced the bill’s scope was the elimination of the permit that beekeepers are required to have in order to cross county lines with bees or beekeeping equipment. The introduced bill can be read at https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/86R/billtext/html/SB00677I.htm
The scheduling of the Texas Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on Senate Bill 677 spurred other Texas beekeeping associations to propose additional language be added to SB 677.
Other associations were concerned that because of the elimination of $11k per year in permit fees, the Texas Apiary Inspection Service (TAIS) would discontinue maintaining a publicly available list of those offering hive removal services on the Texas Apiary Inspection Service’s website. So, other associations proposed the creation of an optional beekeeper registration program with associated fees in order to make up for the loss of county to county permit fees. Leading the effort to add the fee based beekeeper registration was the Texas Beekeepers Association. In addition to the beekeeper registration, TBA proposed that Senator Hall add 3 other provision detailed below. Senator Hall’s office contacted Lone Star Beekeepers Association about the proposed language changes.
While the language change to SB 677 still repeals the county to county bee transport permit, the substitute bill makes 4 other changes unrelated to the county to county bee transport permit. Those additional changes are:
- It refines the legal definition of the terms “Beekeeper”, “Colony” and “Director” while creating a legal definition for the term “Package Bees”
- It effectively combines the two separate state import permit and export permits that migratory beekeepers have to apply for annually into a single annual permit.
- It allows migratory beekeepers to bring bees into the Texas that have been inspected within the past 12 months by the Texas Apiary Inspection Service.
- It changes the name of the existing optional registration from Apiary Registration to Beekeeper Registration and allows the Texas Apiary Inspection Service to charge fees for the beekeeper registration. Beekeeper registration is optional.
Though Lone Star Beekeepers Association supports the repeal of the county to county permit requirement, at this time LSBA neither supports nor opposes the additional language. Accordingly, LSBA has changed its position from support of SB 677 to neutral and made its neutral position known during the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on SB 677. The reason for LSBA’s neutral stance is the Board of Directors thought it prudent to give all members of Lone Star Beekeepers Association equal and fair opportunity to weigh in in the matter before adopting a position as either FOR or AGAINST. The LSBA board will be taking steps to give all members that opportunity to express their opinion so that LSBA can take a position.
The LSBA Board of Directors did contact TBA to express concerns that many beekeepers have expressed to the LSBA board. Beekeepers have complained to LSBA that the additional language allows TAIS to charge fees to beekeepers for benefits that currently have no fees. Namely, the ability of hive removers to qualify for an exemption from needing a pest control license in order to perform structural hive removals. The Texas Beekeepers Association was receptive to this input and agreed to add the following provision to guarantee beekeepers shall not be charged a registration fee for those benefits currently existing.
The added provision is 131.045(d)(1) which states:
A fee shall not be assessed under this section on a beekeeper registering with the chief apiary inspector solely for the purposes of compliance with Chapter 1951.056 of Texas Occupations Code.
The proposed language substitution can be found in its entirety at https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/86R/billtext/html/SB00677S.htm
SB 677 Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing Summary
On Monday, March 11, 2019, the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on SB 677 was held. Senator Hall announced the language substitution. After public testimony was heard by the committee, SB 677 as amended was passed unanimously by the committee. Senator Hall invited those voiced concerns with the bill to meet with his office to discuss amendments to be considered on the Senate floor. The Agriculture Committee Director has invited those who testified against SB 677 to participate in a panel to discuss and provide input for the amendments to be offered on the Senate Floor.
The hearing can be viewed in its entirety at the website -> http://tlcsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=45&clip_id=13927
Both the Texas Chief Apiary Inspector and Texas Beekeepers Association was sent an advanced copy of this articles and were asked for their comments. As of publication time, LSBA had not heard from either.