Rule 14 and What It Means For The Hemp Farming Act of 2018

You may have heard that yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used a little-known Senate procedure called Rule 14 that bypasses the traditional committee process and brings S. 2667 (the Hemp Farming Act of 2018) directly to the full Senate. Here’s an article that discusses this procedure.

This certainly is a positive development. Rule 14 is a relatively common maneuver by the Leader for bills that he strongly supports, and it allows him to exercise greater control over its movement. However, contrary to some of the media coverage and social media chatter, this is not a sign that S.2667 will be passed or even debated on the floor imminently. We are still early in the process, and much work needs to be done to develop the appropriate level of support that will enable Leader McConnell to secure final passage.

That’s where you come in. In the coming days, we will be launching our online program to empower you to help us get S.2667 (and its House companion bill, H.R. 5485) across the finish line. We are going to make it easy for you to craft and send a personalized message to your Members of Congress to urge them to co-sponsor and ultimately vote for passage of these critical bills. Of course, please don’t feel like you have to wait for us. Especially if your Members serve on the Senate or House Agriculture Committees, please urge them to co-sponsor S.2667 and H.R. 5485 today.

Thanks for your help in our meaningful efforts to permanently legalize hemp.