[Pollinator] Hastings Amendments Bee-come Part of Ag Appropriations Bill - Provisions Increase Funds for Pollinator Protection

[R. Thomas Van Arsdall]

FYI Bee-low and attached.  This is great news, and Rep Hastings is to be
applauded for his effective, results-oriented leadership.  Efforts now shift
to Senate.

 

Tom

 

R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Director of Public Affairs

   Pollinator Partnership

   O-(540) 899-3023

   C-(703) 509-4746

    <mailto:tva at pollinator.org> tva at pollinator.org

    <http://www.pollinator.org/> Pollinator Partnership

    <http://www.nappc.org/> North American Pollinator Protection Campaign
(NAPPC)

 

From: Mamaux, Lale [mailto:Lale.Mamaux at mail.house.gov] 
Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 3:12 PM
To: Mamaux, Lale
Subject: Hastings Amendments Bee-come Part of Ag Appropriations Bill -
Provisions Increase Funds for Pollinator Protection

 



 

July 9, 2009

 

Contact: Lale Mamaux  

Phone: (202) 225-1313

Cell: (202)279-0442

www.alceehastings.house.gov

 

Hastings Amendments Bee-come Part of Ag Appropriations Bill

 

Provisions Increase Funds for Pollinator Protection

 

(Washington, DC) Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2997, the
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010 by a vote of 266-160.
Included in the Act were two amendments introduced by Congressman Alcee L.
Hastings (D-Miramar).  Both amendments increase funding for research into
pollinator decline and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).  (Please find
attached copies of the amendments)

 

"Congress must continue to secure the necessary funding to proactively
address pollinator decline.  The fact of the matter is that pollinators are
responsible for vast portions of our food supply and exported crops, which
makes their decline an urgent matter of economic and food security," said
Hastings.  "Without an adequate supply of natural pollinators, many crops
would require hand pollination, which would dramatically raise crop prices."

 

In the 110th Congress, Hastings introduced the first legislation to
investigate the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder, H.R. 1709, the Pollinator
Protection Act.  This legislation was supported by a bipartisan coalition of
52 co-sponsors and sought to bolster funding for the initiatives addressed
in Hastings' recent amendments.  The Pollinator Protection Act was later
incorporated into HR 2419, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008,
often referred to as the Farm Bill (Public Law No: 110-234).  

 

"My amendments ensure that funds are directed towards competitive grants
offered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and funding for
the Agricultural Research Service, both of which are programs at the
forefront of research into Colony Collapse Disorder and the problem of
pollinator decline.  My mission is to ensure that these programs will
receive adequate funding from Congress so that they can continue their vital
work."

 

"These amendments help to guarantee that our Nation's food supply remains
plentiful and affordable to the many American who are struggling during our
current economic downturn. I thank the members of Congress who recognized
the importance of these vital provisions."

 

Congressman Alcee L. Hastings is Vice Chairman of the House Permanent Select
Committee on Intelligence, a senior member of the House Rules Committee, and
Co-Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission.  

 

###

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lale M. Mamaux

Chief of Staff, DC

Office of Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (FL-23)

202-225-1313 (phone)

202-225-1171 (fax)

Lale.Mamaux at mail.house.gov

 

 

 

 

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