Bill
HB 5439
The bill creates a state pollinator planting program to expand pollinator habitat through funding, guidance, incentives, and partnerships for planting native habitat and monitoring
HB 5439 (2026) — West Virginia
Title: Creating a pollinator planting program
Summary
This bill establishes a state-supported pollinator planting program with the goal of expanding habitat for pollinators (such as bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects) to support ecological health, agriculture, and biodiversity.
1) Purpose and intent
- Create a formal program within the state to encourage, assist, and incentivize pollinator-friendly plantings.
- Improve pollination services for crops and ornamental plants.
- Promote environmental and economic benefits tied to pollinator health.
2) Key provisions and changes
- Establishment of a Pollinator Planting Program: A dedicated framework and office/agency lead for administering the program (the bill text implies a state-level program, though specific agency names are not provided in the summary available).
- Funding and Administration: The bill would authorize funding mechanisms (appropriations or grants) to support planting initiatives, educational outreach, and technical assistance. Exact dollar figures are not provided in the provided text.
- Planting Guidelines: Development of recommended plant lists and planting standards to maximize pollinator habitat, including native species emphasis and habitat size thresholds.
- Technical Assistance: Provision of guidance, resources, and potentially cost-sharing or grants to landowners, farmers, schools, municipalities, and non-profits to establish pollinator plots.
- Education and Outreach: Public awareness campaigns and educational components to promote pollinator conservation practices.
- Monitoring and Reporting: Requirements to track program outcomes (pollinator habitat created, acres planted, species supported) and report progress to the Legislature or relevant state authority.
- Compliance and Compatibility: Provisions ensuring planting activities align with existing agricultural, environmental, or land-use policies and do not conflict with other state programs.
- Co-sponsorship: The bill lists Co-sponsor Adam Burkhammer, indicating broader legislative support.
3) Affected parties and impacts
- Landowners and Farmers: Access to guidance, potential funding, and incentives to establish pollinator strips, hedgerows, field margins, or habitat-enhancing plantings.
- Local Governments and Institutions: Opportunities to participate in the program through municipal or school garden projects and public spaces.
- Environmental and Agricultural Sectors: Anticipated improvements in crop yields and resilience due to enhanced pollinator activity; potential biodiversity gains.
- Native Plant and Conservation Groups: Allies in program design, outreach, and implementation.
4) Procedural and timeline aspects
- Introduction and Referral: Filed for introduction on February 11, 2026; referred to House Government Organization (as of initial actions).
- Status: Introduced and undergoing committee consideration (no final passage or enacted status provided in the excerpt).
- Implementation Timeline: The bill would likely specify an effective date upon enactment and phased implementation for program rollout, though exact dates are not provided in the available text.
Notes
- The provided text is limited and includes garbled/encoded content for the bill text itself. The summary above reflects typical elements of a “pollinator planting program” bill and the details explicitly mentioned in the record (purpose, administration, funding, guidelines, assistance, education, monitoring, compliance, and sponsor information). If you have access to a clean bill PDF or a legislative digest, I can refine this with exact sections, funding amounts, eligible activities, and deadlines.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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