WA Senate LCTA - Committee Meeting
(March 24, 2021) - HB 1210 - Executive Session

After a ‘hemp’ amendment was withdrawn, legislation swapping the term ‘marijuana’ for the term ‘cannabis’ in State statute was passed by committee members - and still could become law.

Here are some observations from the Wednesday March 24th Washington State Senate Labor, Commerce, and Tribal Affairs Committee (WA Senate LCTA) meeting.

My top 2 takeaways:

• Committee members prepared for an executive session on HB 1210 by receiving an update on the bill’s effects and a potential amendment.
  • HB 1210 (“Replacing the term ‘marijuana’ with the term ‘cannabis’ throughout the Revised Code of Washington”) was passed by the Washington State House of Representatives (WA House) on March 2nd. The bill received a public hearing in WA Senate LCTA on March 24th.
  • WA Senate LCTA Counsel Matt Shepard-Koningsor reviewed the bill for senators. He noted an amendment to the legislation had been put forward by Senator Derek Stanford providing “that the definitions of hemp and industrial hemp in the hemp production statutes do not include plants that meet the definition of ‘cannabis’ contained in the Washington Uniform Controlled Substances Act” (audio - 1m, video).

• Learning the amendment was withdrawn, the committee voted to recommend passage of the legislation without comment from members.
  • Vice Chair Steve Conway moved for consideration of the bill (audio - <1m, video). Stanford informed senators he was withdrawing his amendment after “further consultation with the Department of Agriculture” (WSDA). He said the Department’s representatives “determined that this language is not needed” (audio - 1m, video).
  • Conway made a motion for a “do-pass recommendation” on HB 1210 and to send the bill to the Washington State Senate Rules Committee (WA Senate RULE, audio - 1m, video). Chair Karen Keiser asked for a yes vote, and all but two senators, Jim Honeyford and Mark Schoesler, concurred with her. Confirming the recommendation, Keiser said the bill would be sent to WA Senate RULE (audio - 1m, video).
  • On Saturday April 10th, HB 1210 was calendared by WA Senate RULE - but the bill did not receive its second and third reading prior to the opposite house cutoff on Sunday April 11th. At publication time, the bill remained on the Senate floor calendar and potentially could be moved if legislative leadership decides the legislation should be regarded as “necessary to implement the budget” (NTIB). Notably, the sole fiscal note requested for the bill exceeded a $50K threshold some consider a minimum amount for NTIB designation. And the latest House version of SB 5092, the fiscal biennium operating budget, contained appropriations for HB 1210 - with the caveat that they would expire if the bill were not passed into law.

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