I thought the members of this list might be interested in a bill that the Libertas Institute has drafted for the Utah state legislature...

 (Copied from (http://libertasutah.org/)

Monday, February 2, 2015 
HB224: Deregulating Beekeeping in Utah

To track the status of this bill, find it on our Legislation Tracker.
Click here to contact the sponsor of the bill to share your thoughts, or
click here to email your Senator and Representative about it.

Libertas Institute supports this bill.

Currently, Utah law prohibits beekeeping unless the individual first registers with, and pays, the state government. This mandate has led many beekeepers to “go underground” by defying the requirement and doing it without the government’s permission or knowledge.

House Bill 224, sponsored by Representative Marc Roberts, proposes carving out the registration requirement for those who operate five bee hives or less, leaving the burden to the commercial beekeepers and others with a large operation. Those exempted from the registration requirement would, under the bill, still be able to voluntarily register to receive services if they so desire.

The bill also:

    removes a provision that prohibits a beekeeper from operating a hive that does not contain movable parts;

    allows county inspectors to investigate complaints only when they allege a severely diseased, parasitized, or abandoned hive, and only after giving notice to the owner;

    removes a requirement that compels beekeepers to allow inspectors on their property for a routine annual inspection, making the inspection voluntary and requiring consent of the owner;

    allows the Department of Agriculture to restrict migratory beekeeping upon petition for purposes of protecting bee genetics or breeding;

 and

    prohibits cities from adopting or enforcing ordinances or regulations related to raising or managing bees.

In essence, this bill largely deregulates beekeeping, allowing property owners to engage freely in the market and participate in a natural process without being on a government list and paying fees. As such, we support the proposed legislation.

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html