AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 29, 2025

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 23, 2025

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 13, 2025

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

95

Introduced by Assembly Member Ransom

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Hadwick)

February 20, 2025

An act to add Section 570.5 to the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to bees.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

The Cannella Environmental Farming Act of 1995 requires the Department of Food and Agriculture to establish and oversee various programs, including an environmental farming program and the Healthy Soils Program, and requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to convene a 9-member Scientific Advisory Panel on Environmental Farming to advise the secretary on the implementation of the Healthy Soils Program and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program and to assist federal, state, and local government agencies, as appropriate or necessary, on issues relating to the impact of agricultural practices on air, water, and wildlife habitat, as specified. Existing law creates the Climate Smart Agriculture Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund, consisting of moneys made available from federal, state, industry, philanthropic, and private sources, and continuously appropriates the moneys in the account to the department for purposes of the act.

This bill would, as part of the act, authorize the department, in consultation with the panel, to establish and oversee the Managed Honeybee Health Program for the purpose of enhancing the health and well-being of managed honeybees in California, which are necessary to support the economic viability of California agriculture. The bill would authorize the department, to the extent that moneys are available, to provide grants to eligible recipients for health intervention projects that directly enhance the health and well-being of managed honeybees used in pollination services and for projects that indirectly support health interventions through research, extension, and technical assistance. The bill would authorize the department to determine priorities for the program and to consider, when awarding grants, whether a project applicant or project meets specified criteria, in addition to criteria developed to address the program priorities. The bill would authorize the department to collect nonstate, federal, and private funds for the purpose of the program, require those funds to be deposited into the Managed Honeybee Health Special Fund Subaccount, which this bill would create within the Climate Smart Agriculture Account, and continuously appropriate moneys in the subaccount to the department for the purpose of the program. The bill would make operation of these provisions contingent ​upon an appropriation by the Legislature for the program in the annual Budget Act or another statute.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) Managed honeybees are essential to the health and productivity of California’s agriculture and ecosystems.

(2) California’s agricultural sector, the largest in the United States, depends on pollination for the successful cultivation of over 90 crops, including almonds, berries, melons, and many fruits and vegetables, which annually contribute billions of dollars to the state’s economy.

(3) Managed honeybees also play a critical role in sustaining plant populations, supporting biodiversity, and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

(4) Managed honeybee populations have experienced significant declines due to various factors, including habitat and forage loss, climate change, pests such as the Varroa mite, and diseases.

(5) The loss of managed honeybees poses a serious threat to food security, biodiversity, and the resilience of ecosystems in California.

(6) A decline in managed honeybee health negatively impacts California’s economy by reducing crop yields, increasing the costs of pollination services, and diminishing the state’s agricultural competitiveness.

(7) Healthy managed honeybee populations are necessary for the preservation of ecosystems that provide natural water filtration, carbon storage, and soil stabilization, and contribute to California’s environmental sustainability goals.

(8) California has a longstanding tradition of leadership in environmental stewardship and sustainable agricultural practices. Promoting managed honeybee health aligns with California’s goals to combat climate change, protect biodiversity, and advance sustainable agriculture. By prioritizing the health and management of managed honeybees, California can strengthen partnerships between agricultural producers, conservation groups, researchers, and policymakers.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to prioritize the health of managed honeybees through collaborative efforts, incentives, research and education, and the adoption of practices that support the sustainability of California’s agricultural ecosystems.

SEC. 2.

Section 570.5 is added to the Food and Agricultural Code, to read:

570.5.

(a) For purposes of this section, all of the following definitions apply:

(1) “Health intervention” means an intervention that improves the health status of managed honeybees, including, but not limited to, management practices and other disease preventives, or a therapeutic or nutritional intervention.

(2) “Managed honeybees” means honeybees and colonies kept and managed by humans, primarily for purposes of pollination, honey production, and the production of other hive products such as beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly.

(3) “Program” means the Managed Honeybee Health Program.

(4) “Socially disadvantaged group” has the same meaning as defined in Section 512.

(b) (1) The department, in consultation with the panel, may establish and oversee the Managed Honeybee Health Program for the purpose of enhancing the health and well-being of managed honeybees in California, which are necessary to support the economic viability of California agriculture.

(2) The panel may consult with commercial beekeepers, the State Veterinarian, farmers, county agricultural commissioners, professionals, scientists, and representatives of nongovernmental entities to advise on the program.

(c) To the extent that moneys are available, the department may provide grants to eligible recipients for health intervention projects that directly enhance the health and well-being of managed honeybees used in pollination services and for projects that indirectly support health interventions through research, extension, and technical assistance. Eligible recipients shall include, but are not limited to, in-state commercial beekeepers, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations.

(d) (1) The department may determine priorities for the program.

(2) In addition to criteria developed to address the program priorities, the department may consider, when awarding grants, whether any of the following criteria apply to a project applicant or project:

(A) The project is located in and benefits a disadvantaged community identified pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code.

(B) The project applicant is a commercial beekeeper who is a member of a socially disadvantaged group or the project applicant specializes in serving socially disadvantaged groups.

(C) The project demonstrates potential for replication in other parts of the state.

(D) The project provides environmental and agronomic cobenefits, such as reduced hive loss and increased honeybee habitat.

(e) The department may collect nonstate, federal, and private funds for the purpose of the program, and those funds shall be deposited into the Managed Honeybee Health Special Fund Subaccount, which is hereby created within the Climate Smart Agriculture Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, moneys in the subaccount are hereby continuously appropriated without regard to fiscal years to the department for the purpose of the program.

(f) Funds collected by the secretary pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 29030.5) of Chapter 1 of Division 13 shall not be expended for the program.

(g) The operation of this section is contingent upon funding being appropriated by the Legislature for the program in the annual Budget Act or another statute.