Update: “Botany Bill” Introduced in the U.S. Senate; Hearings Held in the House of Representatives

August 08, 2019

The bipartisan bill promotes plant scientists and native species on public lands

The Botanical Sciences and Native Plant Materials Research, Restoration, and Promotion Act (the Botany Bill) was introduced in Congress on March 6, 2019 by Rep. Mike Quigley D - 5th District, Illinois and Rep. Francis Rooney R- 9th District, Florida. This bipartisan bill (with 49 co-sponsors)  promotes a pipeline of plant scientists and the use of native plant materials on public lands. 

On July 18, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands of the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the bill.  On July 31, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and ten of her U.S Senate colleagues introduced the bill in the Senate. 

The legislation has been endorsed by more than 80 distinguished horticultural and botanical organizations including the GCA, the Chicago Botanic Garden, the New York Botanic Garden and the Center for Plant Conservation.  

 

On July 18, the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands of the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the bill and several other pieces of legislation. Co-sponsor Mike Quigley introduced the bill and emphasized the need for botanical expertise noting that “the country is projected to lose nearly half of its botanical expertise in the next decade as experienced scientists retire and are not replaced, leading to a myriad of direct and indirect costs both in dollars and in loss of critical native landscapes.” Rep. Deb Haaland, who chaired the hearing, noted letters of support as part of the record. Mr. Frank Beum, U.S. Forest Service; Mr. Wayne Padgett, Retired Vegetation Ecologist, Bureau of Land Management/ U.S. Forest Service; and Mr. Greg Walcher, Natural Resources Group, offered oral testimony. 

Quoting President Theodore Roosevelt, GCA president Debbie Edwards outlined the crisis in public land management, the need for a systematic approach, and the ecological and financial benefits of native plants. Read Debbie Edwards statement here.

​Click here to track the progress of the bill. 

See All News