I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3544 

To decriminalize cannabis, to establish an Equitable Licensing Grant Program 

in the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 27, 2019 

Mr. EVANS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Small Business, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To decriminalize cannabis, to establish an Equitable Licensing Grant Program in the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Homegrown Act of 

5 2019.’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DECRIMINALIZATION OF CANNABIS. 

7 (a) CANNABIS REMOVED FROM SCHEDULE OF CON8 TROLLED SUBSTANCES.—Subsection (c) of schedule I of 


jspears on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 3544 IH

1 section 202(c) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 

2 U.S.C. 812) is amended— 

3 (1) by striking ‘‘Marihuana’’; and 

4 (2) by striking ‘‘Tetrahydrocannabinols’’, 

5 and renumbering accordingly. 

6 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO CONTROLLED

7 SUBSTANCES ACT.—The Controlled Substances Act (21 

8 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) is amended— 

9 (1) in section 102(44) (21 U.S.C. 802(44)), by 

10 striking ‘‘marihuana,’’; 

11 (2) in section 401(b) (21 U.S.C. 841(b))— 

12 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

13 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

14 (I) in clause (vi), by inserting 

15 ‘‘or’’ after the semicolon; 

16 (II) by striking (vii); and 

17 (III) by redesignating clause 

18 (viii) as clause (vii); 

19 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

20 (I) in clause (vi), by inserting 

21 ‘‘or’’ after the semicolon; 

22 (II) by striking clause (vii); and 

23 (III) by redesignating clause 

24 (viii) as clause (vii); 


jspears on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 3544 IH

1 (iii) in subparagraph (C), in the first 

2 sentence, by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (A), 

3 (B), and (D)’’ and inserting ‘‘subpara4 graphs (A) and (B)’’; 

5 (iv) by striking subparagraph (D); 

6 (v) by redesignating subparagraph (E) 

7 as subparagraph (D); and 

8 (vi) in subparagraph (D)(i), as so re9 designated, by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (C) 

10 and (D)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph 

11 (C)’’; 

12 (B) by striking paragraph (4); and 

13 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), 

14 and (7) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), respec15 tively; 

16 (3) in section 402(c)(2)(B) (21 U.S.C. 

17 842(c)(2)(B)), by striking ‘‘marihuana,’’; 

18 (4) in section 403(d)(1) (21 U.S.C. 843(d)(1)), 

19 by striking ‘‘marihuana,’’; 

20 (5) in section 418(a) (21 U.S.C. 859(a)), by 

21 striking the last sentence; 

22 (6) in section 419(a) (21 U.S.C. 860(a)), by 

23 striking the last sentence; 

24 (7) in section 422(d) (21 U.S.C. 863(d))— 


jspears on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 3544 IH

1 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

2 by striking ‘‘marijuana,’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘, such 

4 as a marihuana cigarette,’’; and 

5 (8) in section 516(d) (21 U.S.C. 886(d)), by 

6 striking ‘‘section 401(b)(6)’’ each place the term ap7 pears and inserting ‘‘section 401(b)(5)’’. 

8 (c) OTHER CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

9 (1) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM DRUG CONTROL

10 ACT OF 1986.—The National Forest System Drug 

11 Control Act of 1986 (16 U.S.C. 559b et seq.) is 

12 amended— 

13 (A) in section 15002(a) (16 U.S.C. 

14 559b(a)) by striking ‘‘marijuana and other’’; 

15 (B) in section 15003(2) (16 U.S.C. 

16 559c(2)) by striking ‘‘marijuana and other’’; 

17 and 

18 (C) in section 15004(2) (16 U.S.C. 

19 559d(2)) by striking ‘‘marijuana and other’’. 

20 (2) INTERCEPTION OF COMMUNICATIONS.—Sec21 tion 2516 of title 18, United States Code, is amend22 ed— 

23 (A) in subsection (1)(e), by striking ‘‘, 

24 marihuana,’’; and 


jspears on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 3544 IH

1 (B) in subsection (2) by striking ‘‘mari2 huana’’. 

3 SEC. 3. EQUITABLE LICENSING GRANT PROGRAM. 

4 The Small Business Administration shall establish 

5 and carry out a grant program to be known as the ‘‘Equi6 table Licensing Grant Program’’ to provide eligible enti7 ties funds to develop and implement equitable cannabis li8 censing programs that minimize barriers to cannabis li9 censing and employment for individuals most adversely 

10 impacted by the war on drugs, provided that each grantee 

11 includes at least four of the six of the following elements 

12 in its licensing program: 

13 (1) A waiver of cannabis license application fees 

14 for individuals most adversely impacted by the war 

15 on drugs who are first-time applicants. 

16 (2) A prohibition on the denial of a cannabis li17 cense based on a conviction of a cannabis-related of18 fense. 

19 (3) A prohibition on criminal conviction restric20 tions for licensing except in instances where the con21 viction is relevant to owning and operating a busi22 ness. 

23 (4) A prohibition on cannabis license holders 

24 from engaging in suspicion less cannabis drug test25 ing of their prospective or current employees, except 


jspears on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 3544 IH

1 in instances of drug testing for safety-sensitive posi2 tions as defined by the Omnibus Transportation 

3 Employee Testing Act of 1991 (Public Law 102– 

4 143). 

5 (5) The establishment of a cannabis licensing 

6 board, that is reflective of the racial, ethnic, eco7 nomic, and gender composition of the State or local8 ity, to serve as an oversight body of the equitable li9 censing program. 

10 (6) The establishment of a grant program from 

11 cannabis tax revenue to support non-profit commu12 nity-based organizations that provide business train13 ing and technical, management, and marketing as14 sistance to individuals most adversely impacted by 

15 the war on drugs who are starting, sustaining, or ex16 panding a cannabis business. 

Æ 


jspears on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS