Texas Legislature Update – 2019 Session

There are no fewer than 10 proposed law changes currently under consideration by the 2019 Texas Legislature that if passed will effect beekeepers.

Lone Star Beekeepers Associations urges beekeepers to study these bills and their potential impact and further urges beekeepers then contact their State Representative and Senator to let them know your opinion.

 

BEEKEEPING REGULATIONS

  • SB 677, as amended:
    1. Repeals the county to county bee transport permit requirement
    2. Refines the legal definition of the terms “Beekeeper”, “Colony” and “Director” while creating a legal definition for the term “Package Bees”
    3. Combines the two separate state import permit and export permits that migratory beekeepers have to apply for annually into a single annual permit.
    4. 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.
    5. 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 that a beekeeper has the option not to do.

 

  • HB 2670: Same as the amended SB 677, except that beehive removers are not explicitly exempt from paying the registration fee.
  • HB 1723: A narrow scope bill that only repeals the county to county bee transport permit requirement.

 HIVE REMOVAL REGULATIONS

  • HB 4212: Requires minimum training, licensure and minimum insurance coverage for those providing bee hive removal services.

 AGRICULTURAL EVALUATION

  • HB 2996: Excludes land in residential subdivisions from being qualified as agricultural land for property tax purposes.

POLLINATOR PROTECTION

  • HB 136/ SB 2170: Forms a task force to study pollinator protection.
  • HB 2484: Creates a Bee Pollinator Task Force, comprised of state agency officials.

PESITCIDE APPLICATION RESTRICTION

  • HB 2483: Bans the use of neonicotinoids pesticides in public road right-of-ways.
  • SB 2061: Bans the use of neonicotinoids pesticides and glyphosate herbicides at school facilities.

Let your state senator and representative know you your position on these bill by Contacting your State Representative & Senator.

You can find out who your representatives are by going to https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home or calling the Texas Capitol Switchboard at 512-463-4630.