I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2692 
To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to take 
certain actions related to pesticides that may affect pollinators, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2013 
Mr. CONYERS (for himself and Mr. BLUMENAUER) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency to take certain actions related to pesticides that 
may affect pollinators, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Saving America’s Polli-
nators Act of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
(1) Pollination services are a vital part of agri-
cultural 
production, 
valued 
at 
over 
$125,000,000,000 
globally 
and 
worth 
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$20,000,000,000 to $30,000,000,000 in agricultural 
production annually in the United States. 
(2) One-third of food produced in North Amer-
ica depends on pollination by honey bees, including 
nearly 95 varieties of fruits such as almonds, avoca-
dos, cranberries, and apples. 
(3) Over the past several years, documented in-
cidents of colony collapse disorder have been at a 
record high, with some beekeepers repeatedly losing 
100 percent of their operations. 
(4) During the winter beginning in 2012 and 
ending in 2013, United States beekeepers, on aver-
age, lost 45.1 percent of the colonies they operate. 
(5) According to scientists of the Department 
of Agriculture, current estimates of the survivorship 
of honey bee colonies show they are too low to be 
able to meet the pollination demands of United 
States agricultural crops. 
(6) Scientists have linked the use of systemic 
neonicotinoid insecticides to the rapid decline of pol-
linators and to the deterioration of pollinator health. 
(7) Neonicotinoids cause sublethal effects in-
cluding impaired foraging and feeding behavior, dis-
orientation, weakened immunity, delayed larval de-
velopment, and increased susceptibility to viruses, 
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diseases, and parasites and numerous studies have 
also demonstrated acute, lethal effects from the ap-
plication of neonicotinoid insecticides. 
(8) Recent science has demonstrated that a sin-
gle corn kernel coated with a neonicotinoid is toxic 
enough to kill a songbird. 
(9) In June 2013, over 50,000 bumblebees were 
killed as a direct result of exposure to a 
neonicotinoid applied to Linden trees for cosmetic 
purposes. 
(10) In January 2013, the European Food 
Safety Authority determined that the most widely 
used neonicotinoids pose unacceptable hazards to 
bees, prompting the European Union to suspend 
their use on agricultural crops. 
SEC. 3. URGENT REGULATORY RESPONSE FOR HONEY BEE 
AND POLLINATOR PROTECTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency shall suspend the 
registration of imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, 
dinotafuran, and any other members of the nitro group 
of neonicotinoid insecticides to the extent such insecticide 
is registered, conditionally or otherwise, under the Federal 
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 
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et seq.) for use in seed treatment, soil application, or foliar 
treatment on bee attractive plants, trees, and cereals until 
the Administrator has made a determination that such in-
secticide will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on 
pollinators based on— 
(1) an evaluation of the published and peer-re-
viewed scientific evidence on whether the use or uses 
of such neonicotinoids cause unreasonable adverse 
effects on pollinators, including native bees, honey 
bees, birds, bats, and other species of beneficial in-
sects; and 
(2) a completed field study that meets the cri-
teria required by the Administrator and evaluates 
residues, including residue build-up after repeated 
annual application, chronic low-dose exposure, cumu-
lative effects of multiple chemical exposures, and any 
other protocol determined to be necessary by the Ad-
ministrator to protect managed and native polli-
nators. 
(b) CONDITIONS
ON CERTAIN PESTICIDES REG-
ISTRATIONS.—Notwithstanding section 3 of the Federal 
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 
136a), for purposes of the protection of honey bees, other 
pollinators, and beneficial insects, the Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency shall not issue any 
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new registrations, conditional or otherwise, for any seed 
treatment, soil application, and foliar treatment on bee at-
tractive plants, trees, and cereals under such Act until the 
Administrator has made the determination described in 
subsection (a), based on an evaluation described in sub-
section (a)(1) and a completed field study described in 
subsection (a)(2), with respect to such insecticide. 
(c) MONITORING OF NATIVE BEES.—The Secretary 
of the Interior, in coordination with the Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency, shall, for purposes 
of protecting and ensuring the long-term viability of native 
bees and other pollinators of agricultural crops, horti-
cultural plants, wild plants, and other plants— 
(1) regularly monitor the health and population 
status of native bees, including the status of native 
bees in agricultural and non-agricultural habitats 
and areas of ornamental plants, residential areas, 
and landscaped areas; 
(2) identify the scope and likely causes of un-
usual native bee mortality; and 
(3) beginning not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act and each year 
thereafter, submit to Congress, and make available 
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to the public, a report on such health and population 
status. 
Æ 
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