The Minnesota Senate has agreed to the House of Representative’s request to establish a conference committee to coalesce around one version of HF 100.
Both the Senate and House have given approval to HF 100, which would legalize the personal possession and cultivation of recreational marijuana for everyone 21 and older. However, the two version differ slightly, and the House has refused to agree to amendments approved in the Senate. In doing so, the House requested a conference committee be established that includes five members from the House and five from the Senate. The Senate has officially agreed to this request, and the House has named the five members they’ve appointed to the committee.
The House has approved the following members for the committee:
- State Representative Nolan West
- State Representative Alicia Kozlowski
- State Representative Jessica Hanson
- State Representative Zack Stephenson
- State Representative Athena Hollins
As of the time of publication the Senate has not named its five members. We will provide an update at the bottom of this article once they do.
The primary contention between the two version of HF 100 is whether or not localities should have control over the placement and regulations of marijuana retail outlets. The House version would effectively prevent cities from banning marijuana stores, a move that’s uncommon in regards to state marijuana laws. The Senate amended this to give localities more control.
Other than a few other minor differences, the bills are essentially the same. Both would allow for the possession of up to two ounces of marijuana, and the cultivation of up to eight plants. Both would allow marijuana to be sold at licensed retail outlets, with marijuana taxed at 16.8% (10% marijuana excise tax + 6.8% state sales tax).
In addition, both versions would automatically expunge past marijuana possession charges, with the process handled by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
With Democrats in control of the House and Senate and the vote falling mostly along party lines, it’s expected that despite their disagreements the two chambers will quickly agree on one bill. Once they do, they will give the measure one final vote and send it to Governor Tim Walz for consideration. Governor Walz is expected to sign it into law once given the chance.
You can find the full text of the House-approved HF 100 by clicking here. You can find the Senate-approved version by clicking here.
Update: The Senate has approved the following members for the HF 100 Conference Committee:
- Senator Lindsey Port
- Senator Clare Oumo Verbeten
- Senator Erin Murphy
- Senator Jordan Rasmusson
- Senator Susan Kaying Pha
