Category: Announcement

No less than 12 Senate & House bills mentioning honey bees or honey beekeeping are being considered by the 2021 Session of the Texas State Legislature.  Some of the bills have more of a direct effect on beekeepers than others.  LSBA is here to keep you informed of these considerations.

• Two joint bills stop municipalities and home owner associations from prohibiting single residential households from keeping no more than three hives in a backyard
• Four bills supported by both champers propose state wide standards for number of hives required to maintain real estate agricultural exemptions.
• Two joint bills create a criminal offense for stealing or harming maintained bees.
• Two joint bills limit beekeeper liabilities.
• Two unrelated but similar Senate Bills are related to creating pollinator health education and advisory boards.

Backyard Farming

Senate Bill 1062 and House Bill 1686 propose to remove local control of municipalities and home owner associations by not allowing them to adopt ordinances that prohibits the growing of fruits and vegetables; or the raising or keeping of six or fewer domestic fowl or rabbits or the raising of three or fewer beehives.  Raising of roosters can still be prohibited.

SB 1062 / HB 1686

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB01062I.htm

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB01686I.htm

Agricultural Land Use Evaluation

Companion bills, SB 1994 & HB 4319 in addition to companion bills SB 1994 & HB 4319 propose to amend the tax and standardize the number of colonies required and the amount of time per year those colonies must be on site required to qualify land for agricultural use evaluation.  It would unify that 6 colonies are required for the first 5 acres and 1 addition hive fore each additional 2.5 acres.  Additionally, the bills standardize the amount of time the colonies must be on the land as 9 month each year.

SB 1994 / HB 4319

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB01994I.htm

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB04319I.htm

SB 1995 / HB 4320

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB01995I.htm

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB04320I.htm

Criminal offense for damaging managed colonies

SB 472 and HB 1480 would create criminal offenses and require restitution for damages to managed bee colonies in addition to other farming operations, crops and animals.

SB 472 / HB 1480

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00472I.htm

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB01480H.htm

Limitations on Liabilities

HB 365 removes the beekeeper from liability personal injury or death to a participant in beekeeping activity.  However, the companion bill, SB 1078, omits extending the liability limit to beekeepers.  If these bills are to move forward, the bills would have to be reconciled in joint committee.

SB 1078 / HB 365

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB01078I.htm

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB00365E.htm

Pollinator Health and Education

SB 1128 proposes an educational task force be created and consulted with by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to develop educational materials regarding the best practices for avoiding adverse effects from pesticides on populations of bees and other pollinating insects.

SB 1128

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB01128I.htm

 

Solar Energy Farm Practices

SB 1772 would require that the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to establish and implement the Texas Pollinator-Smart program to encourage the voluntary establishment and conservation of habitats for bees, birds, and other pollinators in and near solar

SB 1772

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB01772I.htm

 

At least until September of 2021, beekeepers that wish to comply with the beekeeping laws and regulations will have to continue acquiring an intrastate transport permit in order to legally carry bees or beekeeping equipment across a Texas county line.

This is because there will be no bee regulation changes made in the 2019 session of the Texas Legislature. The Chairman of the House Agriculture and Livestock Committee, Representative Drew Springer, decided not to move forward with any bills having to do with bee regulation changes.  This is according to a legislative aid.  Thus all bee bills before the legislature will effectively die, left pending before that house committee.

There were 3 bills that specifically related to honey beekeeping and one bill specifically related to honey bee hive removal.  The bills that dealt with beekeeping were SB 677, HB1723 and HB 2670.  The very unpopular HB 4212 that dealt with hive removal, never received a hearing.

According to the legislative aid, Representative Drew Springer decided not to move forward because of the conflicting language between SB 677, HB 1723 & HB 2670 and the lack of unanimous support among beekeepers on any single issue stating “an interim study is needed”.

Even the simplest of these bills Continue reading “No Beekeeping Regulation Changes in 2019”

As previously mentioned in several published articles, the Lone Star Beekeepers Association supports the repeal of the permit requirement beekeepers have to comply with to transport honey bees across a Texas county line.

There are presently 3 bills before the current session of the Texas Legislature that propose repeal of this permit.  Those three bills are Senate Bill 677, House Bill 2670, and House Bill 1723.  Of those 3 bills, only HB 1723 deals solely with the repeal of the permit requirement.

SB 677 & HB 2670  contain additional provisions unrelated to the repeal of the county to county bee transportation permit.  Those additional provisions in SB 677 & HB 2970  are causing those bills to be challenged by many beekeepers and local beekeeper associations across the state so those bills are at risk of not passing.

The additional provisions in SB 677 & HB 2670 add a voluntary fee based beekeeper registration and also adds the ability to circumvent the hive health certification process while importing bees into Texas.  Though the repeal of the county to county transport permit requirement is widely supported, a large number of beekeepers across the state are voicing their opposition to beekeeper registration and the hive import inspection loop-hole.

Fortunately HB 1723 proposes repeal of the county to county bee transport permit without the additional baggage opposed by many beekeepers.  Vice Chair of the House Agriculture & Livestock Committee, Representative “Doc” Anderson has thrown his weight behind HB 1723 by attaching his name to it as an additional House sponsor.  The Legislative Aid for Representative Meza’s agriculture committee activities, Sam Gostomski, told LSBA “Both Representative Meza and Representative Anderson are still committed to moving the bill forward” and has requested a hearing on the bill before the House Agriculture & Livestock Committee.

The next step to move HB 1723 forward is a hearing of the bill before the House Agriculture & Livestock Committee.

CALL TO ACTION

Help this bill move forward by contacting both the House Ag & Livestock Committee Chair Representative Drew Springer,  and the House Ag & Livestock Chair’s clerk, Alexander McMillan at (512) 463-0762.

Tell them you support House Bill 1723 and encourage a hearing for that bill be scheduled.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Alexander McMillan can be contacted at (512) 463-0762

Representative Drew Springer can be contacted at (512) 463-0526  or Drew.Springer@house.texas.gov.