{"id":523044,"date":"2022-12-08T02:21:13","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T23:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/lawmakers-face-closing-window-to-pass-landmark-bipartisan-marijuana-bill\/"},"modified":"2022-12-08T02:21:13","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T23:21:13","slug":"lawmakers-face-closing-window-to-pass-landmark-bipartisan-marijuana-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/lawmakers-face-closing-window-to-pass-landmark-bipartisan-marijuana-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"#Lawmakers face closing window to pass landmark bipartisan marijuana bill"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37322554a31\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37322554a31\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/lawmakers-face-closing-window-to-pass-landmark-bipartisan-marijuana-bill\/#Lawmakers_face_closing_window_to_pass_landmark_bipartisan_marijuana_bill\" >Lawmakers face closing window to pass landmark bipartisan marijuana bill<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lawmakers_face_closing_window_to_pass_landmark_bipartisan_marijuana_bill\"><\/span>Lawmakers face closing window to pass landmark bipartisan marijuana bill<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/MerkleyJeff_042622ap.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Lawmakers are facing a rapidly closing window to get key marijuana legislation across the finish line in the lame-duck session.<\/p>\n<p>Despite fetching broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate, opposition from GOP leadership and a tightening timeline is chipping away at the bill\u2019s chances of passage.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The measure, called the SAFE Banking Act, would undo federal restrictions that discourage banks and other financial institutions from offering services to legally operating cannabis businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Supporters say the bill is desperately needed to crack down on persistent robberies of cannabis businesses, which are forced to carry huge amounts of cash, as well as make it easier for those companies to secure loans at reasonable rates.<\/p>\n<p>But with little legislative time left on the calendar, supporters of the bill, which has passed the House seven times, are divided over how to pass it before January. And they fear it\u2019s even less likely to pass in a divided Congress.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe still got amendments on the floor. We still got a continuing resolution,\u201d Sen. Jeff Merkley\u00a0(D-Ore.), who has also been leading efforts pushing the bill in the upper chamber, told The Hill on Wednesday. \u201cWe may have an omnibus. Not giving up on this Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), a lead negotiator for the bill, told The Hill on Tuesday that he\u2019s hopeful the measure will be attached to a potential government funding omnibus that members on both sides want to see pass before year\u2019s end.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve got nine [GOP] co-sponsors and probably some other Republicans who support it that aren\u2019t on the bill. So, there\u2019s some support for it,\u201d Daines said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)\u00a0opposed efforts\u00a0to link the bill to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) \u2013 which many Republicans, including the banking bill\u2019s cosponsors, agreed with.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe get a lot of bad legislation when we do that, and the bad outweighs the good,\u201d Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), one of the co-sponsors for the marijuana banking bill, told The Hill. \u201cSo, I don\u2019t want it on the omnibus, and I don\u2019t want non-defense items hooked to the NDAA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D), another co-sponsor, told The Hill that he\u2019s hopeful to see the bill finally pass in the coming weeks, but added it\u2019s \u201chard for me to see a path this year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re gonna have to spend some time, I think, just talking to people, and some people don\u2019t have to come around. You know, you don\u2019t need unanimity,\u201d Cramer said, acknowledging \u201cjust the subject matter itself\u201d makes some members \u201cvery uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though the bill has Republican backers even outside those co-sponsoring the measure, there is still pushback within the caucus, party members say. Among the loudest has been McConnell, who this week knocked the bill as a measure that aims to make \u201cour financial system more sympathetic to illegal drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m for the SAFE Banking Act, but there\u2019s a lot of resistance in our conference and it\u2019s come up in two different meetings this week,\u201d Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who is retiring at the end of the year, told The Hill, \u201cand, I\u2019m not sure how close to evenly divided we are, but we\u2019re pretty divided.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Blunt, who serves on the Senate <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App<\/a>ropriations Committee, also cast doubt on the chances of the bill being attached to any omnibus this month, saying it\u2019s up to the \u201cfinal negotiators to decide if it costs votes on the package are not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pressed about how McConnell\u2019s support impacts his push for the marijuana banking bill to pass in the current congressional session, Daines said he thinks McConnell is \u201clistening and we\u2019re gonna see where it all goes here in the next couple of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice created another hurdle for the SAFE Banking Act when it released a memo Friday saying the bill might need to undergo technical changes so that it doesn\u2019t complicate investigations into drug crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Some Republicans have punted blame to the other side of the aisle for not bringing up the bill sooner.<\/p>\n<p>The bill was included in last year\u2019s House-passed NDAA, but Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) s<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>ped it out because it didn\u2019t include any measures to address damage done to minority communities by the war on drugs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>President Biden in October pardoned those with simple marijuana convictions, but the order will only apply to a few thousand people who were convicted with federal charges.<\/p>\n<p>As the vast majority of marijuana convictions come at the state level, Democrats want to combine SAFE Banking with the HOPE Act, a bipartisan proposal that would incentivize states to expunge cannabis convictions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Republicans want to include the GRAM Act, which would allow individuals with a cannabis conviction in weed-legal states to purchase firearms.<\/p>\n<p>The cannabis industry is urging Congress to pass SAFE Banking in the lame duck session, arguing that while it enjoys substantial GOP support, Republican leaders would not prioritize its passage after the House flips to Republican control.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWe remain optimistic that we\u2019ll see cannabis reforms appear in another legislative vehicle in the coming weeks,\u201d U.S. Cannabis Council CEO Khadijah Tribble said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>The banking industry is also lobbying for the bill. The Independent Community Bankers of America\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.icba.org\/newsroom\/news-and-articles\/2022\/09\/02\/icba-two-thirds-of-voters-support-cannabis-banking-access?utm_campaign=NewsWatch%20Today&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=235839218&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_SKW1OCtaRzg6dyye4SFW2Ys1FKPbZMTQC9rMf21JLrpXKmYFn8OXgxRb68-drVOJQwV-954bbsG1130Cgu72nrFAViw&amp;utm_content=235838874&amp;utm_source=hs_email\">commissioned a Morning Consult poll<\/a>\u00a0showing that nearly two-thirds of voters support allowing cannabis businesses to access banking services in weed-legal states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis legislation enjoys strong, bipartisan support, would resolve a conflict between state and federal law, and addresses a critical public safety concern. We urge its enactment without further delay,\u201d read a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.icba.org\/docs\/default-source\/icba\/advocacy-documents\/letters-to-congress\/state-association-letter-on-safe-banking-act?utm_campaign=NewsWatch%20Today&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=235839218&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--jM2AZ7k0hPmbWB2FqdS2DCA1ZnIavGJQjZcAB8jdMzNIywtQPXslNdvXw83tVpOrANasswVlFIVFRqj_cb0mnYqDgpw&amp;utm_content=235838874&amp;utm_source=hs_email\">recent letter<\/a>\u00a0to Senate leaders from the community bankers\u2019 group and 44 state banking associations.\u00a0\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/3766198-lawmakers-face-closing-window-to-pass-landmark-bipartisan-marijuana-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawmakers face closing window to pass landmark bipartisan marijuana bill Lawmakers are facing a rapidly closing window to get key marijuana legislation across the finish line in the lame-duck session. Despite fetching broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate, opposition from GOP leadership and a tightening timeline is chipping away at the bill\u2019s chances&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":523045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/MerkleyJeff_042622ap.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134418,136417,73798,134447,134420,136920,136921,71263,41445,134591,134539,134419,135615,136922,70289,136923],"class_list":["post-523044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-congress-blog","tag-cynthia-lummis","tag-defense","tag-energy-and-environment","tag-equilibrium-sustainability","tag-jeff-merkley","tag-kevin-cramer","tag-marijuana","tag-mitch-mcconnell","tag-overnight-finance","tag-overnight-healthcare","tag-overnight-technology","tag-roy-blunt","tag-safe-banking-act","tag-senate","tag-steve-daines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}