A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to Establish the Beehive Grant Fund.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Chapter 106 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Article to read:
"Article 55A.
"Beehive Grants.
"§ 106‑650.  Beehive Grant Fund.
(a)	Establishment. – The North Carolina Beehive Grant Fund is established as a special fund in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Department shall be responsible for administering the Fund. The Fund may receive such funds as may be appropriated by the General Assembly and any gifts, grants, or donations from any public or private sources.
(b)	Purposes. – Funds in the North Carolina Beehive Grant Fund shall be used, as available, to encourage the establishment of new beehives in the State. Grants from the Fund shall be made upon application to the Beehive Grant Program as set forth in G.S. 106‑651.
"§ 106‑651.  Beehive Grant Program.
(a)	Definitions. – The definitions in G.S. 105‑164.3 and the following definitions apply to this Article:
(1)	Eligible activity. – Any of the following:
a.	The purchase of a new hive for bees.
b.	The purchase of materials or supplies to be used for the construction of a new hive for bees.
(2)	Eligible beekeeper. – A resident of the State who meets the following requirements:
a.	The person is at least 18 years of age.
b.	The person is a Certified Beekeeper as determined by the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association at the time of filing of the grant application.
(3)	Fund. – The Beehive Grant Fund established by G.S. 106‑650.
(b)	Grants. – Any eligible beekeeper may apply for a grant from the Fund for an eligible activity. The Department shall specify the form and contents of the application, including procedures for the submission of applications electronically. The Board may establish a fee for grant applicants to recover the reasonable costs of reviewing and processing applications. Grants shall be limited to two hundred dollars ($200.00) per new hive, up to a maximum grant of two thousand four hundred dollars ($2,400) per grant recipient in any year, and shall be issued in the order that each completed eligible application is received. In the event that the amount of eligible grants requested in a fiscal year exceeds the funds available in the Fund, such grants shall be paid in the next fiscal year in which funds are available.
(c)	Rule making. – The Board may issue rules to implement the requirements of this Article."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2017.