Marcy Kaptur: “First, I would like to offer my highest commendation to Congressman Hastings for his work on this vital issue. Let me…”

“First, I would like to offer my highest commendation to Congressman Hastings for his work on this vital issue. Let me begin with the words of Congressman Hastings: ``No bees, no food.'' The amendment being offered today will help coordinate the Federal response to the sudden, massive, and frightening decline in our Nation's bee population. Specifically, the amendment would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to work with the Secretary of Interior and Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure the long-term viability of our bee population. The amendment would allow the establishment of a task force on bee health and commercial beekeeping to coordinate Federal efforts in addressing the significant bee population decline. Preliminary results from a survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that over nearly a third of managed honeybee colonies in our country were lost during the 2012-2013 winter. That is an increase of 42 percent in honeybee losses. On average, U.S. beekeepers lost nearly half of their colonies during this past winter. This was an increase nationally of over 78 percent from the previous winter. Traditionally, the average loss had only been about 10 to 15 percent, and there have been significant honeybee losses in 22 different States. This amendment will help coordinate the Federal response to the sudden massive decline of our Nation's bee population.…”