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Minutes for HB2158 - Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources
Short Title
Permitting beekeepers who meet certain requirements to sell packaged honey and honeycombs without holding a food establishment or food processing plant license under the Kansas food, drug and cosmetic act.
Minutes Content for Wed, Mar 12, 2025
Chairman Peck opened the hearing on HB2158 at 8:55 a.m.
Tamera Lawrence gave an overview of the bill. (Attachment 2)
Proponent - speaking:
Samuel MacRoberts, Litigation Director & General Counsel, Kansas Justice Institute (KJI) provided testimony in support of the bill. (Attachment 3) KJI strongly supports the elimination of unreasonable occupational barriers.and believes that HB2158 is an excellent start and strongly supports the intent of the bill, but respectfully asks this committee to consider removing the $50,000 cap.
Mr. MacRoberts stood for questions.
Becky Tipton, Kansas Honey Producers, Country Creek Honey, Shawnee County Area Beekeepers provided testimony in support of the bill. (Attachment 4) . Ms. Tipton said the bill would enable the beekeeper/farmer to sell his/her product in retail establishments without the extreme expense and burdensome process of maintaining a licensed kitchen.
Ms. Tipton stood for questions.
Buck Bradley, Buck's Honey Bee Company provided testimony in support of the bill. (Attachment 5) Mr. Bradley says he can sell at farmers market but not to retail stores. Five local businesses have expressed interest in selling his honey in their stores. However since he does not have a commercial kitchen, he is legally prohibited from doing so. Yet, under current regulations he can sell the exact same bottle of honey directly to customers at farmers' markets or even to business owners for use in their products.
Mr. Bradley stood for questions.
The following submitted Written Only Proponent testimony.
Jade Like (Attachment 6)
Phillip Shepard - Shepard Apiaries (Attachment 7)
Juan Jorge - Smallhollder Farmers Market Vendor (Attachment 8)
William Warnes (Attachment 9)
Linda Russell - Heartland Beekeepers Association of SE Kansas (Attachment 10)
Sarah Bradley (Attachment 11)
Sondra Koehn - Kansas Honey Producers Association (Attachment 12)
Collin Young (Attachment 13)
Stephani Phillips - Nickerbee Farm (Attachment 14)
Val Young (Attachment 15)
Dan Young (Attachment 16)
Lisa Tokach - Honey for Heifer (Attachment 17)
Zach Cooper (Attachment 18)
Suzanne Hokett - Ho - Ho LLC (Attachment 19)
Nikki Bowman - Owner, Nikki's Bee Farm and Kansas Honey Producers (Attachment 20)
James Carpenter - Wichita BeeKeeper Alliance and Carp's Bees (Attachment 21)
Jo Patrick - Waterworks Park Honey (Attachment 22)
Cheryl Burkhead - NEKBA President, Northeastern Kansas BeeKeepers Association (Attachment 23)
Albert Taylor (Attachment 24)
Kristi Sanderson, Northeast Beekeeping Association and Honey Producers Association (Attachment 25)
Rocelle McGhee Smart (Attachment 26)
Opponent - speaking:
Josh McGinn, Assistant Secretary, Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) provided testimony in opposition to the bill. (Attachment 27) KDA believes that HB2158 presents some challenges as it relates to ensuring food safety and consumer protection in the state of Kansas.
Mr. McGinn stood for questions.
Tim Urich, owner, T Creek Bees & Honey LLC provided testimony in opposition to the bill. (Attachment 28) Manages 300 beehives in Shawnee County, producing honey that he sells to stores in Topeka. As a licensed food processor, he has invested significant time, effort and resources to ensure their honey production meets the highest safety and quality standards and firmly believes that all honey producers who wish to sell their products wholesale should be held to the same standards.
Mr. Urich stood for questions.
Jorge Garibay, owner, North America Pollinator Alliance provided testimony in opposition to the bill. (Attachment 29) A Kansas beekeeper who does not currently have a commercial kitchen and would benefit from this exception yet he is opposing its further momentum into becoming law. Mr. Garibay's company tends beehives for farms who use them for their crop pollination and raising a honey crop to diversify the products they sell from their farms.
Mr. Garibay stood for questions.
Courtney Simpson, owner, SHoney Farm LLC provided testimony in opposition to the bill. (Attachment 30) This bill poses significant health risks by eliminating the need for licensed processing facilities, which are essential to ensuring the safety and quality of honey products.
Ms. Simpson stood for questions.
Matthew Brandes, owner, New Hope Farm & Apiary provided testimony in opposition to the bill. (Attachment 31) Food safety is a critical component of our food supply chain. Consumers have an implied level of trust and expectation that the foods they purchase in a retail setting are inspected, produced, and packaged in a safe manner.
Mr. Brandes stood for questions.
The following submitted Written Only Opponent testimony.
Taylor Johnson, Red Barn Bee Co. (Attachment 32)
Chad Gilliland, owner, Next to Nature Farm LLC (Attachment 33)
Curt Wiebelhaus, owner, Kansas Bee Farm LLC (Attachment 34)
Tony Schwager, The Bee Store (Attachment 35)
Chairman Peck closed the hearing on HB2158 and adjourned the meeting at 9:31 a.m.
