What's happening
This bill encourages the use of pollinator-friendly native plants in highway medians and reduces mowing to support pollinators.
Why it matters
Supports pollinator populations. By mandating the use of native, nectar- and pollen-rich plants that bloom at different times, the bill aims to provide continuous food sources for pollinators like bees and butterflies, which are critical for agriculture and ecosystem health.
Reduces maintenance costs and environmental impact. Limiting the areas that are mowed in highway medians can lower state and local government spending on landscaping, decrease fuel use and emissions from mowing equipment, and reduce soil erosion and water runoff.
Enables community involvement. Through the adopt-a-highway provisions, the bill empowers volunteer groups, businesses, and individuals to participate in beautification and pollinator habitat creation, fostering civic engagement and environmental stewardship.
Promotes coordinated policy and training. The bill requires the development of statewide policies and training for both state agencies and local governments, potentially leading to consistent practices and greater effectiveness in pollinator conservation efforts across New York.
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Who cares
State transportation officials and the Department of Environmental Conservation
The bill would require the highway commissioner, working with DEC, to develop policies to encourage, train and assist state and local governments in using native pollinator-friendly plants in highway medians.
County, town, city and village governments
They could designate median areas for voluntary beautification with the commissioner's approval and under the bill's planting policies.
Adopt-a-highway volunteers and businesses
New program policies would allow them to adopt medians and redevelop them with pollinator-friendly plants, excluding modern hybrids.
Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians
Policies to reduce median mowing would have to remain consistent with their safety.
Headline styles
Plant Wildflowers on Highways
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7008
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2020
Introduced by Sen. MAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the highway law, in relation to the use of pollinator friendly plant species in medians along the highways of the state
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Legislative intent. The legislature finds that the planting of pollinator friendly plant species in medians along the highways of this state is consistent with the state goal of beautifying the landscape along such highways. Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to encourage the use of pollinator friendly plant species by the state and its political subdivisions in designing, developing and maintaining such medians whenever safe and feasible.
§ 2. The highway law is amended by adding a new section 19-a to read as follows:
§ 19-a. Pollinator friendly plant species; medians. 1. For purposes of this section the following terms shall have the following meanings:
a. "pollinator friendly plant species" shall mean plants native to the state, composed of a variety of nectar and pollen-rich flowers with a wide range and variety of shapes, sizes, and colors that blossom at various times throughout the year. The term "pollinator friendly plant species" shall not include modern plant hybrids; and
b. "political subdivision" shall mean a county, town, city or village of the state.
2. The commissioner shall, in cooperation with the department of environmental conservation, develop policies and procedures to encourage, train and assist the state and political subdivisions to use pollinator friendly plant species in medians along highways.
3. The commissioner shall develop policies and procedures for mowing highways that will, wherever feasible and consistent with standards of safety for motor vehicle operators, cyclists, and pedestrians, reduce the amount of area within a highway median that is mowed.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14375-01-9
S. 7008 2
4. The commissioner shall develop policies and procedures for the adopt-a-highway program to allow volunteer groups, businesses, organizations, and individuals to voluntarily adopt medians and redevelop and rehabilitate them into medians populated by pollinator friendly plant species.
5. A political subdivision may, with the approval of the commissioner, designate portions of medians within its boundary for voluntary beautification by volunteer groups, businesses, organizations, and individuals. Such voluntary beautification shall be consistent with the policies and procedures developed by the commissioner and the use of pollinator friendly plant species set forth in this section.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the highway law, in relation to the use of pollinator friendly plant species in medians along the highways of the state
Purpose or general idea of bill
This bill amends the highway law to encourage the redevelopment and rehabilitation of medians along state highways and other roadways into pollinator friendly zones through new planting practices, mowing routines, and expansion of adopt-a-highway programs.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1: Legislative intent
Section 2: Amends the highway law by adding a new section 19-a to create pollinator friendly medians along highways. A definition of pollinator friendly plant species is provided. The section requires the commission- er to: develop policies and procedures to use pollinator friendly plant species in medians along highways and to develop mowing standards that will reduce, where consistent with public safety, the amount of highway median that is mowed; to expand the adopt-a-highway program to include the redevelopment and rehabilitation of medians into pollinator friendly areas; and to allow political subdivisions of the state to designate portions of medians within their boundaries eligible for voluntary beau- tification as pollinator friendly zones.
Section 3: effective date.
Justification
Many species of the most common pollinators, such as bees, wasps, butterflies and beetles, are threatened because of lost habitat and the use of pesticides. One of the most effective ways to support the many varieties of pollinators responsible for the reproduction of flowering plants and for pollinating billions of dollars in agricultural crops each year is to encourage pollinator friendly planting. Gardens are one of the most typical sources of pollinator friendly planting in cities, but these gardens are not sufficient alone to provide food and habitats for many species. New York's state and local highway system encompasses over 110,000 miles of roadway and bridges. Many of these highways have medians. With the right planting of native species and mowing practices that allow some portion of the medians to become wild, these highway medians can become pollinator friendly areas that will expand habitats for pollinators while simultaneously supporting natural beauty through- out the state.
Legislative history
New bill
Fiscal implications
Minimal
Effective date
120 days after becoming law
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.