Pennsylvania HB 1277: An Act amending Title 3 (Agriculture) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in plants and plant products, providing for plant and pollinator protection; conferring powers and duties on the Department of Agriculture and Secretary of Agriculture; establishing the Plant and Pollinator Protection Committee and the Plant and Pollinator Protection Account; repealing provisions relating to bees; imposing penalties; and making repeals.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1431
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1277
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY RABB, MADDEN, PIELLI, GIRAL, WAXMAN, BURGOS,
HOWARD, KHAN, GUENST, PROBST, HILL-EVANS, KENYATTA, WEBSTER,
SANCHEZ, JAMES, HOHENSTEIN, BRENNAN, SHUSTERMAN AND WARREN,
APRIL 21, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,
APRIL 21, 2025
AN ACT
Amending Title 3 (Agriculture) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes, in plants and plant products, providing for plant
and pollinator protection; conferring powers and duties on
the Department of Agriculture and Secretary of Agriculture;
establishing the Plant and Pollinator Protection Committee
and the Plant and Pollinator Protection Account; repealing
provisions relating to bees; imposing penalties; and making
repeals.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Part III of Title 3 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a chapter to read:
CHAPTER 16
PLANT AND POLLINATOR PROTECTION
Subchapter
A. General Provisions
B. Licensure and Certification
C. Enforcement
D. Miscellaneous Provisions
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SUBCHAPTER A
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec.
1601. Short title.
1602. Definitions.
1603. Right of entry.
1604. Inspections, sampling, testing and certifications.
1605. Regulations, orders and pest tolerances.
1606. Surveys to determine existence of plant and pollinator
pests.
1607. Proceedings upon finding plant or pollinator pests.
1608. Invasive species or plant contaminants being moved by
plant merchants or pollinator operations.
1609. Stop orders.
1610. Quarantines.
§ 1601. Short title.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Plant and
Pollinator Protection Act.
§ 1602. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Apiary." A place where one or more colonies or nucleus
colonies of honey bees are kept.
"Beekeeper." A person that manages honey bees.
"Beekeeper location." The primary address for a beekeeper
who manages honey bees primarily for personal use but does not
engage in other commercial pollinator transactions.
"Business location." Premises where distribution of plants
for planting or managed pollinators takes place. This also
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includes the primary address of a commercial beekeeper.
"Colony." A distinguishable, localized population of bees in
any life stage and associated comb, honey and pollen.
"Commodity." An item for sale.
"Compliance agreement." A written agreement between the
department and a person engaged in distributing regulated
articles wherein the person engaged in distributing regulated
articles agrees to comply with specified provisions and follow
specified business practices to prevent dissemination of pests.
"Control." The reduction of the population of a plant or
pollinator pest to an acceptable level as determined by the
department.
"Department." The Department of Agriculture of the
Commonwealth.
"Distribute" or "distribution." To make offers or
solicitations for the sale, resale, barter, exchange, loan,
lease, distribution or transfer of managed pollinators or plants
for planting.
"Eradication." The elimination or removal of a pest from a
defined geographic area.
"General quarantine order." An order of the department
pertaining to an area or locality within this Commonwealth to
restrict the movement of or prevent the spread, sale,
distribution or other disposition of a plant, plant product,
pollinator, pollinator product, pest, premises or any other
regulated article from movement into, within or from the area or
locality subject to the quarantine. A general quarantine order
may encompass the entire Commonwealth.
"Hive." A structure, including natural or artificial boxes,
containers or receptacles, or any part thereof, including
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frames, which may be utilized by a beekeeper as a domicile for
bees where the bees are expected to inhabit and establish a
colony.
"Honey bee." Any life stage of the common honey bee ( Apis
mellifera ) .
"Inspector." An employee or officer of the department or a
representative or agent of the department duly appointed by the
secretary to carry out the provisions of this chapter.
"Interstate quarantine order" or "international quarantine
order." An order of the department establishing restrictions
upon the use, sale, distribution, movement or other disposition
of a plant, plant product, pollinator, pollinator product, pest,
premises or any other regulated article contaminated with,
exposed to, harboring or capable of harboring or spreading a
pest, and regulating or forbidding their entry into this
Commonwealth from another state, territory of the United