The States Reform Act has received a new committee assignment, roughly three months after being filed.
The States Reform Act (House Bill 6028) was filed by Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) in October, cosponsored by Representatives Tom McClintock (R-CA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), David Trone (D-MD) and Dean Phillips (D-MN). The latter is currently running against President Biden in the Democratic primary.
The measure, according to its official legislative brief, “Federally decriminalizes cannabis and fully defers to state powers over prohibition and commercial regulation.” It “performs confirming amendments to relevant statutes to ensure that cannabis products are treated like alcohol by amended statutes in line with Title II of the Act.”
On January 18 the measure was “Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture”, according to Congress.gov.
Prior to this assignment the measure was most recently referred to the Subcommittee on Health on November 3. On October 27, two days after being filed, it was referred to the Subcommittees on:
- Health
- Highways and Transit
- Aviation
- Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
- Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
A similar measure, the STATES (Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States) Act, recently gained its seventh bipartisan sponsor. That measure, filed in October, would amend the Controlled Substances so that those acting in compliance with state marijuana laws would no longer be committing a federal crime.
The measure would also explicitly allow marijuana commerce between legal marijuana states and tribes, and it would amend an IRS law (section 280E) that prohibits businesses from taking tax deductions if they run a federally illegal business, even if the business is properly following their state’s laws.
For a look at the federal marijuana bills most likely to be passed by the US House and Senate this year, click here. For a look at the six states most likely to legalize marijuana in 2024, click here.
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