Dear ASPT Members,

I am happy to report that the so-called “Botany Bill” has been reintroduced in the US House of Representatives last week. The official title of this bill is "H.R.1572: The Botanical Sciences and Native Plant Materials Research, Restoration, and Promotion Act". Briefly, if it becomes law this bill will improve staffing by trained botanists on federal lands, fund research on recovery of T&E and invasive species, and develop policies for the use of native plants in land management activities. If you are a US citizen, you may want to get involved. This is a rare circumstance in which the interests of the plant taxonomists and systematists are being considered by the US government. You can find more detailed information about the content of the bill and the legislative process here: https://botanybill.weebly.com. I encourage you to learn more about this bill and what it will take to move it forward to consideration by a House committee, which will require co-sponshorship by additional representatives.

Mark Fishbein
President