HF 3462 Summary

• Road authorities must use integrated pest management methods that are minimally disruptive to pollinators when destroying noxious weeds, and must use spot treatment if conditions do not merit full right-of-way treatment.

• Road authorities are prohibited from mowing, burning, tilling, or haying highway right-of-ways outside cities except for safety zones within 8-16 feet of the road surface and one side per year after July 31, with a minimum mowing height of 12 inches.

• The Commissioner of Transportation must establish pollinator habitat management best practices, create public maps of rights-of-way and adjacent wildlife habitats, and develop an annual performance-based plan with targets for prairie restoration, pesticide reduction, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction by December 15 each year.

• Private landowners may apply for mowing permits from road authorities to mow adjacent right-of-ways once per calendar year or for pollinator maintenance permits to foster habitat and refrain from mowing designated areas.

• The Commissioner must establish a reporting system for suspected violations and may work with violators on remedial action or refer violations to law enforcement for citation, with violations classified as misdemeanors.