110 HR 2913 IH: Pollinator Habitat Protection Act of U.S. House of Representatives 2007-06-28 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2913 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 28, 2007 Mr. Blumenauer (for himself, Mr. Hastings of Florida, and Mr. Kuhl of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture A BILL To amend the administrative requirements for conservation programs administered by the Department of Agriculture to ensure a greater emphasis on increasing habitat for native and managed pollinators and establishing cropping systems, integrated pest management regimes, and other practices to protect native and managed pollinators, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Pollinator Habitat Protection Act of 2007.

2.

Giving pollinator habitat and protection a priority in conservation programs

(a)

Additional administrative requirement for conservation programs

Section 1244 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (c)

Native and managed pollinators

In carrying out any conservation program administered by the Secretary, except the farmland protection program, the Secretary shall establish a priority and provide incentives for— (1)increasing habitat for native and managed pollinators, especially native habitat; and (2)establishing cropping systems, integrated pest management regimes, and other practices to protect native and managed pollinators. . (b)

Designation of pollinator protection as national priority resource concern

Since increasing awareness about the importance of pollinator protection to agricultural producers and ecosystem health is a necessary step in facilitating pollinator stewardship, protection, and habitat conservation, it is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Agriculture should designate pollinator protection as a national priority resource concern for conservation programs administered by the Department of Agriculture. (c)

Awareness and use of pollinator-friendly native plants

Since one of the obstacles for protecting and strengthening pollinator habitat is a chronic shortage of native plants, including seed and nursery stock for native plants, it is the sense of Congress that— (1)the Secretary of Agriculture should continue efforts to make nurseries and land managers aware of pollinator-friendly native plants; and (2)Plant Materials Centers of the Department of Agriculture should emphasize pollinator-beneficial native plantings for native and managed pollinator habitat.