Legislation to reinforce vigilance over inversion and diversion was advanced, hemp in food was delayed, and legislators may not consider cannabis bills Wednesday until Senate calendaring.
Here are some observations of the Washington State Legislature (WA Legislature) for Wednesday January 24th, the 17th day of the 2024 regular session.
My top 3 takeaways:
- On Tuesday, members of the Washington State House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee (WA House RSG) recommended HB 2255 (“Concerning inversion and diversion of cannabis”) out of committee.
- Initially scheduled for Thursday January 18th, WA House RSG members deferred hearing the bill until Monday January 22nd.
- During the committee meeting on Tuesday, the legislation was unanimously recommended out of committee without amendment.
- The fiscal note on the bill shows no expected costs, so it would likely be referred to the Washington State House Rules Committee (WA House RUL) for calendaring, bypassing consideration by a fiscal committee.
- A planned executive session on SB 6209, the hemp in food bill, was cancelled.
- During the initial public hearing on Monday January 22nd in the Washington State Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources, and Parks Committee (WA Senate AWNP), sponsoring Senator Ann Rivers voiced concerns her bill may be "too big for the short session," but wanted to continue the dialogue about allowing hemp extract to be used as a food additive. The majority of speakers on the legislation were supportive, representing both the hemp and cannabis sectors
- Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Legislative Liaison and Policy Advisor Kelly McLain, registered as ‘other’ as is typical of cabinet level agencies testifying on legislation they did not request, noted the measure hadn't been budgeted for by the Governor's office. The sole opposition to the bill was presented by Washington CannaBusiness Association (WACA) Executive Director and Lobbyist Vicki Christophersen, suggesting it would sow further confusion with federal hemp policies.
- During the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) Board Caucus on Tuesday morning, Chair David Postman inquired specifically about SB 6209 during an update by Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Webster. Neither had concerns about the bill as written but agreed it was important to watch the bill "like a hawk" for amendments. While not advocating for the agency to take a position on the legislation, Postman expressed appreciation for the interplay with the on-going agency implementation of SB 5367, 2023 legislation which had been criticized for diminishing the hemp cannabinoid industry in Washington (audio - 3m, video - TVW).
- On Tuesday afternoon, the executive session on SB 6209 scheduled for the committee meeting on Thursday January 25th was removed. At publication time, a subsequent executive session had not been announced.
- As no cannabis-related bills had been calendared in advance of Wednesday floor sessions, it was likely to be a quiet day until the Washington State Senate Rules Committee (WA Senate RULE) convened in the late afternoon.
- While the House and Senate both planned to host floor sessions, no cannabis-related bills were positioned for floor activity at publication time.
- WA Senate RULE planned to convene on Wednesday at 4pm PT or after the conclusion of the Senate floor session. Members would be granted two pulls in addition to votes on a pre-selected package of gubernatorial nominations and a set of bills chosen by leadership.
- At publication time, the following cannabis-related bills were eligible for packaging or pulls in WA Senate RULE:
- SB 5340 - “Regarding limits on the sale and possession of retail cannabis products.”
- SB 5363 - “Concerning cannabis retailer advertising.”
- SB 5377 - “Concerning cannabis license ownership.”
- On Monday January 22nd, WA House RSG members did not consider taking executive action on HB 1341, the original companion legislation to SB 5377. During the WSLCB Caucus on Tuesday, Webster claimed it “doesn’t really look good” for the out-of-state ownership bill in the House (audio < 1m, video - TVW).
- SB 5405 - “Modifying the liquor and cannabis board's subpoena authority.”
- SB 5546 - “Establishing a Washington state cannabis commission.”
- SB 5791 - “Concerning the evaluation of the effectiveness of oral fluid roadside information in the enforcement of driving under the influence laws.”