I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1284 
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 
MARCH 4, 2015 
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 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Pollination services are a vital part of agri-
cultural 
production, 
valued 
at 
over 
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$125,000,000,000 globally. According to a 2014 
Presidential memorandum, pollinators provide for an 
annual amount of $24,000,000,000 to the economy 
of the United States and honey bees account for 
$15,000,000,000 of such amount. Similarly, polli-
nation services of native pollinators, such as bumble-
bees, squash bees, and mason bees, contribute over 
$3,000,000,000 to the United States agricultural 
economy and are estimated to contribute between 
$937,000,000 and $2,400,000,000 to the economy 
of California alone. 
(2) One-third of food produced in North Amer-
ica—including nearly 100 varieties of fruits and 
vegetables such as almonds, avocados, cranberries, 
and apples—depends on pollination by bees. 
(3) Over the past several years, documented in-
cidents of colony collapse disorder and other forms 
of excess bee mortality have been at a record high, 
with some beekeepers repeatedly losing 100 percent 
of their operations. The national honey crop re-
ported in 2013 was the lowest in many decades. 
(4) A recent national survey sponsored by the 
Federal Government indicates that United States 
beekeepers experienced a 45.2 percent annual mor-
tality rate with their hives during the period begin-
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ning in April 2012 and ending in March 2013. Dur-
ing the winter of 2013–2014, two-thirds of bee-
keepers experienced loss rates greater than the es-
tablished acceptable winter mortality rate. 
(5) According to scientists at the Department 
of Agriculture, current losses of honey bee colonies 
are too high to confidently ensure the United States 
will be able to meet the pollination demands for agri-
cultural crops. 
(6) Native pollinators, such as bumble bees, 
have also suffered alarming population declines. 
There are currently more than 40 pollinator species 
federally-listed as threatened or endangered, and 
most recently, the iconic monarch butterfly has de-
clined by 90 percent. 
(7) Scientists have linked the use of a certain 
class 
of 
systemic 
insecticides, 
known 
as 
neonicotinoids, to the rapid decline of pollinators 
and to the deterioration of pollinator health. 
(8) Neonicotinoids cause sublethal effects, in-
cluding impaired foraging and feeding behavior, dis-
orientation, weakened immunity, delayed larval de-
velopment, and increased susceptibility to viruses, 
diseases, and parasites. Numerous reports also docu-
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ment acute, lethal effects from the application of 
neonicotinoids. 
(9) Conclusions from a recent global review of 
the 
impacts 
of 
systemic 
pesticides, 
primarily 
neonicotinoids, warn that they are causing signifi-
cant damage to a wide range of beneficial inverte-
brate species, are a key factor in the decline of bees, 
and pose a global threat to biodiversity and eco-
system services. Another recent global review docu-
mented high levels of freshwater contamination. 
(10) Science has demonstrated that a single 
corn kernel coated with a neonicotinoid is toxic 
enough to kill a songbird. Peer-reviewed research 
from the Netherlands has shown that the most se-
vere bird population declines occurred in those areas 
where neonicotinoid pollution was highest. Starlings, 
tree sparrows, and swallows were among the most 
affected. 
(11) 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. 
(12) In June 2013, over 50,000 bumblebees 
were killed as a direct result of exposure to a 
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neonicotinoid applied to linden trees for cosmetic 
purposes. 
(13) In February 2014, Eugene, Oregon, voted 
to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on city 
property. Similar bans and restrictions have been 
enacted in Thurston County, Spokane, and Seattle, 
Washington, and Skagway, Alaska. 
(14) In June 2014, a Presidential memo-
randum established a Pollinator Health Task Force 
after identifying pollinator decline as a threat to the 
sustainability of food production systems, the agri-
cultural economy, and the health of the environment 
in the United States. 
(15) In July 2014, the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service announced plans to phase out 
neonicotinoid pesticides in all national wildlife ref-
uges across the United States by January 2016. The 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service recognized 
that the prophylactic use of neonicotinoids for agri-
cultural purposes harms a wide range of non-target 
species and is therefore inconsistent with the man-
agement policy of the United States Fish and Wild-
life Service. 
(16) In October 2014, an assessment by the 
Environmental 
Protection 
Agency 
found 
that 
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