Senate aims to attach major marijuana legislation to end-of-year 'must-pass' bills: report
The measure is reportedly receiving bipartisan support in the Senate
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A bipartisan group of senators is working to attach marijuana legislation to "must-pass" bills at the end of the year, according to a new report.
Led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the group, according to Axios, has received the Department of Justice's blessing to implement legislation that would allow cannabis companies access to banking institutions and create grants for state expungement of past marijuana convictions.
The outlet reported that the "targeted legislation" stems from the pairing of two bills — the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act and the Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act.
The SAFE Banking Act, which has passed through the House six times, allows federally-insured banks to work with cannabis shops and related companies in states that have legalized marijuana.
BIDEN PARDONING ALL PRIOR FEDERAL OFFENSES OF SIMPLE MARIJUANA POSSESSION
A man trims buds on marijuana plants. (Kurt Wittman/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The HOPE Act is a bill introduced in the House last year and is designed to erase prior marijuana convictions. The measure, according to a summary of the bill, "authorizes the DOJ to make grants to states and local governments to reduce the financial and administrative burden of expunging convictions for state cannabis offenses."
The group of senators, according to Axios, will more than likely attach the legislation to a must-pass year-end bill like the National Defense Authorization Act, which gets a vote annually.
MARIJUANA LEGALIZED IN THESE STATES IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Schumer has been working across the aisle in the Senate to advance the legislation, talking with prominent Republicans like Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Montana Sen. Steve Daines, and Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan to advance the legislation.
Chuck Schumer has been working across the aisle in the Senate to advance the legislation, talking with several prominent Republicans. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for Daines said, "The senator is continuing to work every day to build consensus so we can pass ‘SAFE Banking’ into law this year."
Cannabis remains illegal on the federal level, but several states have moved to legalize the use and sale of medical marijuana. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 21 states, two territories and the District of Columbia have enacted measures to regulate cannabis for recreational purposes.
A person holds up a marijuana blunt as rapper Lil Jon performs during the Mile High 420 Festival in Denver, Colo., April 20, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Voters in two states – Missouri and Maryland – voted in November to legalize recreational marijuana, further loosening state pot laws for more than 12 million Americans.
In October, President Biden announced the pardoning of all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession.