Four out of five congressional staffers that spoke to The Marijuana Herald this week say they believe the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act stands a solid chance of being approved this session.
That includes one Republican staffer who said “based on current talks I’m 90% confident it’ll pass this year”.
The insight comes from talks with five staffers—three Republicans and two Democrats—who are directly involved in discussions surrounding the forthcoming version of the SAFER Banking Act, expected to be filed in the coming weeks. While one Democrat expressed doubt that the bill could overcome resistance in the Senate this year, believing “a vote could be pushed into 2026”, the others said they are at least “cautiously optimistic” about the bill’s chances of becoming law before the end of the year.
The SAFE and SAFER Banking Acts would provide protections for financial institutions that work with licensed marijuana businesses in legal states, addressing one of the industry’s biggest challenges. Despite bipartisan support in both chambers, and despite being approved by the House on multiple occasions, the bill has repeatedly stalled in past years due to broader political disagreements and shifting priorities.
The Senate Banking Committee passed SAFER last year, but it failed to receive a vote in the Senate despite then-Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promising on multiple occasions that a vote would be held.
