Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: The Botanical Sciences and Native Plant Materials Research, Restoration, and Promotion Act (aka “Botany Bill”) has been introduced in the House of Representatives 

February 21, 2017

 

On February 14, 2017 Rep. Mike Quigley (D - IL) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) introduced House Resolution (H.R.) 1054 – “To promote botanical research and botanical sciences capacity, and for other purposes.”

 

H.R. 1054 would

• provide increased staffing for federal botany programs,
• establish new programs to fund training for federal botanists,  
• improve protection of plants under State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs), 
• support the groundbreaking National Seed Strategy which promotes the use of locally appropriate native plants in land management,
• declare a federal policy that the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Defense preference the use of locally-adapted native plant materials in their land management activities, and 
• require states to utilize native plant species where possible and practical

The bill does not address the protection of plants under the Federal Endangered Species Act.

 

The bill was developed by the Plant Conservation Alliance Non-Federal Cooperators Committee, the NPCC, the Botanical Society of America, the Garden Club of America and others. Many NPCC Affiliate organizations have endorsed this bill.

 

Read the full text of H.R. 1054 online

Read a summary of the bill on the NPCC Speak Out for Plants page

 

To endorse H.R. 1054 or for more information, please contact Andrea Kramer at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Ask your Representative to co-sponsor this bill! You can find their contact information using links on the NPCC Speak Out for Plants Page

 

 

!Remember! You can Register to Vote on the new NPCC Democracy Page