Indiana Legislative Update: SB 293 to be Heard on February 14
Midwest Hemp Council met with Senate leadership again this week to continue to work on an amendment to SB 293. If you will recall, SB 293 was first heard in the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy on January 24 with Midwest Hemp Council, Americans for Prosperity, Farm Bureau and the Indiana Restaurant and Lodging Association all testifying in support of the bill.
After weeks of negotiations led by Senator Holdman, we are excited to share SB 293 has been added to the agenda tomorrow, Tuesday, February 14, as an “amend and vote.” While we may not get everything we have been asking for in the amendment, SB 293 marks the first positive hemp related bill that could pass out of the Senate Chamber in four years. This is a positive sign that the industry continues to make strides through educating our lawmakers and other stakeholders about the avoidable barriers our industry faces and the vast potential a domestic supply chain of hemp presents to our farmers, small businesses and the state as whole.
The hearing is set to begin at 8:30 am on February 14. You can watch the hearing live by clicking here. There will not be an opportunity to provide testimony on the bill during the hearing.
Please be sure to continue reaching out to thank the committee for their hard work on the bill and ask that they vote “yes” on SB 293. Committee member contact information can be found below. We are very grateful for Senator Holdman’s continued leadership on this bill, along with this co-authors Senator Walker and Senator Pol.
If SB 293 passes out of committee, our next stop in the Senate floor. We may sound like a broken record, but this bill will not pass without the direct and consistent involvement from members like you. Thanks for staying on it!
Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee Members: