I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4790 
To amend title 23, United States Code, to encourage and facilitate efforts 
by States and other transportation rights-of-way managers to adopt 
integrated vegetation management practices, including enhancing plant-
ings of native forbs and grasses that provide habitats and forage for 
Monarch butterflies and other native pollinators and honey bees, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 30, 2014 
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida (for himself and Mr. DENHAM) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 23, United States Code, to encourage and 
facilitate efforts by States and other transportation 
rights-of-way managers to adopt integrated vegetation 
management practices, including enhancing plantings of 
native forbs and grasses that provide habitats and forage 
for Monarch butterflies and other native pollinators and 
honey bees, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Highways Bettering 
the Economy and Environment Pollinator Protection 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The roadside vegetation management prac-
tices of both State governments and the Federal 
Government aim to secure motorist safety, reduce 
the presence of noxious weeds, and stabilize the soil. 
(2) Federal and State highway departments are 
facing severe budget shortfalls. 
(3) Native forbs and grasses are less likely to 
encroach onto roads than invasive species, such as 
kudzu. 
(4) Integrated vegetation management practices 
will reduce the cost of maintaining roadside vegeta-
tion. 
(5) Native forbs and grasses are best adapted 
to local conditions and thus require less active man-
agement, reducing the need to replant, weed, and 
mow the areas adjacent to the road. 
(6) Pollinators, such as native bees, honey bees, 
birds, bats, Monarch butterflies, and other butter-
flies, are suffering drastic population loss due in 
part to loss of habitat and forage. 
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(7) Pollinators are vital for American agri-
culture. Responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of 
food we eat, a diverse pollinator population is nec-
essary for maintaining the diversity of our plant life 
and food supply. 
(8) Studies have shown supporting native forbs 
and grasses along the roadside can be beneficial to 
the pollinator population by providing migratory cor-
ridors and habitat and forage connectivity and by 
helping such populations adapt to climate change. 
(9) Plantings of noninvasive, locally appropriate 
milkweed species can create migratory way stations 
for the endangered Monarch butterfly and to facili-
tate migrations of other pollinators. 
(10) Enhancing pollinator populations on 
rights-of-way can result in improved pollination serv-
ices for neighboring lands, including agriculture and 
wildlife ecosystems. 
(11) Highway rights-of-way managed by States 
represent 17 million acres of pollinator habitat con-
servation opportunity, and similar opportunities and 
benefits exist on other transportation rights-of-way. 
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SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS TO ENCOURAGE 
POLLINATOR 
HABITAT 
AND 
FORAGE 
ON 
TRANSPORTATION RIGHTS-OF-WAY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 319 of title 23, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘beauty adja-
cent’’ and inserting ‘‘beauty (including the enhance-
ment of habitat and forage for pollinators) adja-
cent’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) ENCOURAGEMENT
OF POLLINATOR HABITAT 
AND
FORAGE
DEVELOPMENT
AND
PROTECTION
ON 
TRANSPORTATION RIGHTS-OF-WAY.—In carrying out any 
program administered by the Secretary, the Secretary 
shall, in conjunction with willing States, as appropriate— 
‘‘(1) conduct or encourage integrated vegetation 
management practices on roadsides and other trans-
portation rights-of-way, including reduced mowing; 
‘‘(2) enhance the development of habitat and 
forage for Monarch butterflies, other native polli-
nators, and honey bees through plantings of native 
forbs and grasses, including noninvasive, native 
milkweed species that can serve as migratory way 
stations for the endangered Monarch butterfly and 
to facilitate migrations of other pollinators. 
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