Title: REFER Act of 2018
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Restraining Excessive Federal Enforcement & Regulations of Cannabis Act of 2018 or the REFER Act of 2018
This bill prohibits the use of funds made available by Congress to a federal department or agency:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4779 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4779

To protect States and individuals in States that have laws which permit 
              the use of cannabis, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 11, 2018

 Ms. Lee (for herself, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. Polis, 
and Ms. Titus) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on 
    Financial Services, and Energy and Commerce, 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 protect States and individuals in States that have laws which permit 
              the use of cannabis, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Restraining Excessive Federal 
Enforcement & Regulations of Cannabis Act of 2018'' or the ``REFER Act 
of 2018''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON THE USE OF FUNDS.

    None of the funds made available by any Act of Congress to any 
department or agency of the United States may be used to--
            (1) prevent a State or unit of local government from 
        implementing or maintaining its State law or regulation that 
        authorizes the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of 
        cannabis;
            (2) detain, prosecute, sentence, or initiate civil 
        proceedings against an individual, business or property, that 
        is involved in the cultivation, distribution, possession, 
        dispensation, or use of cannabis, in accordance with the law or 
        regulation of the State or unit of local government in which 
        the individual is located; or
            (3) penalize a financial institution solely because the 
        institution provides financial services to an entity that is a 
        manufacturer, producer, or a person that participates in any 
        business or organized activity that involves handling cannabis 
        or cannabis products, or any related activity, and engages in 
        such activity pursuant to a law or regulation established by a 
        State or a unit of local government in which the financial 
        institution is located.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``financial institution'' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 5312 of title 31, United States 
        Code.
            (2) The term ``State'' means any State, the District of 
        Columbia, any territory or possession of the United States, or 
        any Indian tribal government.
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