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To create the Ohio Beekeepers Task Force. | 1 |
Section 1. (A) There is hereby created the Ohio Beekeepers | 2 |
Task Force consisting of the following members: | 3 |
(1) Two members of the House of Representatives Agriculture | 4 |
and Natural Resources Committee appointed by the Governor, each | 5 |
from a different political party; | 6 |
(2) Two members of the Senate Agriculture Committee appointed | 7 |
by the Governor, each from a different political party; | 8 |
(3) The Director of Agriculture or the Director's designee; | 9 |
(4) The Director of Natural Resources or the Director's | 10 |
designee; | 11 |
(5) Two representatives of the Ohio State Beekeepers | 12 |
Association appointed by the Association; | 13 |
(6) The Supervisor of the Department of Agriculture Apiary | 14 |
Program; | 15 |
(7) The Director of the Ohio State University Extension or | 16 |
the Director's designee; | 17 |
(8) An apiculture specialist of the Ohio State University | 18 |
Extension appointed by the Director of the Ohio State University | 19 |
Extension; | 20 |
(9) The Chair of the Ohio State University Department of | 21 |
Entomology or the Chair's designee; | 22 |
(10) A representative of the Ohio Produce Growers and | 23 |
Marketing Association appointed by the Association; | 24 |
(11) A representative of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Bee | 25 |
and Honey Committee appointed by the Federation; | 26 |
(12) A representative of the Ohio Farmer's Union appointed by | 27 |
the Union. | 28 |
(B) The members shall be appointed not later than sixty days | 29 |
after the effective date of this section. The Task Force shall | 30 |
hold its first meeting not later than ninety days after the | 31 |
effective date of this section. | 32 |
(C) The Governor shall select a chairperson and | 33 |
vice-chairperson from among the members of the Task Force. The | 34 |
chairperson may appoint a secretary. | 35 |
(D) The members of the Task Force shall receive no | 36 |
compensation for their services. | 37 |
(E) Not later than ten months after the effective date of | 38 |
this section, the Ohio Beekeepers Task Force shall submit a report | 39 |
to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the | 40 |
House of Representatives, and the Ohio State Beekeepers | 41 |
Association. The report shall do all of the following: | 42 |
(1) Provide an overview of the characteristics of the | 43 |
honeybee crisis in Ohio; | 44 |
(2) Examine and provide an overview of and conclusions | 45 |
regarding whether pollinator shortages are affecting crop | 46 |
pollination in Ohio; | 47 |
(3) Review and provide an overview of the Ohio Honeybee | 48 |
Emergency Action Plan; | 49 |
(4) Review and provide a summary of the federal initiatives | 50 |
regarding Ohio's bee population and of all of the Department of | 51 |
Agriculture's and the Ohio State Beekeepers Association's | 52 |
programs concerning Ohio's bee population; | 53 |
(5) Provide an overview of the five-year goals of the | 54 |
Department of Agriculture concerning honeybees, including | 55 |
recommendations for the restoration of Ohio's bee population; | 56 |
(6) Examine and describe the funding that is available for | 57 |
honeybee programs and issues affecting honeybees; | 58 |
(7) Any other issues that the Task Force considers | 59 |
appropriate. | 60 |
(F) Not later than ninety days following the submission of | 61 |
the report, the Task Force shall meet and respond to any question | 62 |
from a person who received the report. The Task Force shall cease | 63 |
to exist upon submitting its response to all questions from | 64 |
persons who received the report. | 65 |