BILL NUMBER: AJR 29	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 24, 2012
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 6, 2012

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Allen
   (Principal coauthor: Senator Leno)

                        FEBRUARY 24, 2012

   Relative to  honeybees.   pollinators. 


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AJR 29, as amended, Allen. Pollinators.
   This measure would urge the United States Department of
Agriculture, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the
California Department of Food and Agriculture,  the California
Department of Fish and Game,  and the California Department of
Pesticide Regulation to officially recognize the importance of
pollinators to our food supply and environment, to declare the
urgency of Colony Collapse Disorder, and to promote healthy
environments for all pollinators.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, Bees and other pollinators are essential to the majority
of the flowering plants on our planet and to the production of more
than 130 different food crops; and
   WHEREAS, Some farmers and growers depend on pollinators for seed
production for crops grown in subsequent years; and
   WHEREAS, Honeybees are the main pollinators on which we depend,
but native pollinators, such as other species of bees, are also
essential; and
   WHEREAS, Almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, blueberries,
carrots, cantaloupes, cherries, cucumbers, cranberries, kiwis,
melons, onions, pears, plums, prunes, and more, depend on honeybee
pollination; and
   WHEREAS, Poor pollination leads to poor fruit development; and
   WHEREAS, Pollinators are responsible for one out of every three
bites of food that we eat; and
   WHEREAS, In 2006, honeybees in the United States began
disappearing in large numbers--a phenomenon called "colony collapse
disorder"; and
   WHEREAS, Multiple, interacting causes are likely contributors to
"colony collapse disorder," including pathogens, habitat loss, and
pesticides; and
   WHEREAS, Each year since 2006, commercial beekeepers have reported
annual losses of bees in excess of what would be considered normal;
and
   WHEREAS, Honeybees are a keystone indicator species and their
decline points to broader environmental degradation; and
   WHEREAS, Pollinator population declines may be a
disproportionately significant piece of the current collapse in
biodiversity that some biologists believe poses an even greater
threat to humanity than climate change, which contributes to it; now,
therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the California Department of Food and
Agriculture (CDFA),  the California Department of Fish and Game
(DFG),  and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation
(CDPR), to officially recognize the critical importance of
pollinators to our food supply and to our environment; and be it
further
   Resolved, That the Legislature urges the EPA, the USDA, the CDFA,
 the DFG,  and the CDPR to declare the urgency of Colony
Collapse Disorder, as well as for further identifying the reasons
underlying Colony Collapse Disorder; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Legislature urges the EPA, the USDA, the CDFA,
 the DFG,  and the CDPR to promote healthy environments for
all pollinators through existing programs and new funding
opportunities; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the office of the Governor, the Secretary of the
Senate, and the author for appropriate distribution.