PRINTER'S NO. 2967
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 400
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY MATZIE, SCHMITT, VENKAT, GIRAL, ISAACSON, WEBSTER,
HILL-EVANS, PASHINSKI, MARSHALL, KINSEY, NEILSON, RABB,
SCHLOSSBERG, CAUSER, HANBIDGE, JAMES, R. MACKENZIE, MERSKI,
GREINER, MARCELL, MALAGARI, GUENST, SANCHEZ, KULIK,
HOHENSTEIN, CIRESI, BOROWSKI, HADDOCK, KHAN, FLEMING,
CERRATO, DALEY, CONKLIN AND ZIMMERMAN, APRIL 17, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,
APRIL 17, 2024
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the week of June 17 through 23, 2024, as "Pollinator
2 Week" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Pollinator species such as birds and insects,
4 including bees, are essential partners of farmers and ranchers
5 in producing much of our food supply; and
6 WHEREAS, Pollination plays a vital role in the health of our
7 national forests and grasslands, which provide forage, fish and
8 wildlife, timber, water, mineral resources and recreational
9 opportunities as well as enhanced economic development
10 opportunities for communities; and
11 WHEREAS, Pollinator species, including bees, provide
12 significant environmental benefits that are necessary for
13 maintaining healthy, biodiverse ecosystems; and
14 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth has managed wildlife habitats and
15 public lands, including forests and grasslands, for decades; and
 1 WHEREAS, The Bee Law, which appears in Chapter 21 of Title 3
2 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, and other laws and
3 regulations provide producers with conservation assistance to
4 promote wise conservation stewardship, including the protection
5 and maintenance of pollinators and their habitats on working
6 lands and wildlands, and, through the Department of Agriculture,
7 register and regulate each apiary; and
8 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association works
9 with the Department of Agriculture to promote pollination,
10 beekeeping and the production of honey; and
11 WHEREAS, Among its activities, the association:
12 (1) produces a newsletter 10 times per year;
13 (2) meets twice yearly to conduct business;
14 (3) operates a booth at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and
15 Ag Progress Days to promote honey and beekeeping;
16 (4) maintains an education program to inspire new
17 beekeepers and continues to investigate avenues to provide
18 information to more accomplished beekeepers;
19 (5) supports Delaware Valley University and The
20 Pennsylvania State University in projects, staff and grant
21 requests that further research and continually promote
22 beekeeping; and
23 (6) operates the Honey Queen Program to promote honey
24 and provide beekeepers across this Commonwealth with a
25 resource person to assist in promoting honey in local areas;
26 and
27 WHEREAS, The Pollinator Partnership is a nonprofit
28 organization that protects the health of managed and native
29 pollinating animals vital to North American ecosystems and
30 agriculture; and
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 1 WHEREAS, The Pollinator Partnership collaborates with
2 stakeholders who manage or influence landscapes to do a better
3 job of sharing the landscape with pollinators; and
4 WHEREAS, The Pollinator Partnership's mission is to protect
5 pollinators critical to food and ecosystems through
6 conservation, education and research which includes "National
7 Pollinator Week," the North American Pollinator Protection
8 Campaign and ecoregional planting guides; therefore be it
9 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
10 week of June 17 through 23, 2024, as "Pollinator Week" in
11 Pennsylvania; and be it further
12 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives congratulate the
13 Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association, Penn State
14 Cooperative Extension, Delaware Valley University and the
15 Department of Agriculture for their cooperative efforts to
16 promote pollination, beekeeping and the production of honey; and
17 be it further
18 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives support the
19 efforts of the Pollinator Partnership to annually observe
20 "National Pollinator Week"; and be it further
21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the Governor
22 to issue a proclamation urging all residents to recognize this
23 observance; and be it further
24 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
25 the Governor, the Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania
26 State Beekeepers Association and the Pollinator Partnership.
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