Illinois State Representative Marcus Evans (D) has filed legislation aimed at encouraging the federal government to pass a marijuana banking bill.
Illinois House Resolution 440 was filed today in the House of Representatives. It has not yet been assigned to a committee.
The proposal states that a “reliance on cash makes cannabis businesses prime targets for theft, burglary, armed robbery, and other property crimes”. If Congress were to pass legislation allowing financial institutions to provide banking services to legitimate state-authorized, cannabis-related businesses, “the risk of crime at these businesses would substantially decrease”.
The resolution points out that “The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) maintains that the federal government should respect state decisions to regulate cannabis, including hemp in non-FDA approved cannabis products”, noting that “NCSL believes states and localities should be able to set whatever policies work best to improve the public safety, health, and economic development of their communities”.
The proposal states that “Until cannabis is federally de-scheduled, the federal government should prioritize its enforcement actions against criminal enterprises engaged in illicit cannabis production and sale and not against citizens who are compliant with state cannabis laws”.
After the preamble the resolution states:
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Congress to adopt cannabis banking reform; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge Congress to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substance Schedules; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge Congress to reduce barriers to medical research on cannabis and cannabinoids; and be it further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies be delivered to the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, the U.S. Speaker of the House, the U.S. House Minority Leader, and all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.
