Title: Restraining Excessive Federal Enforcement & Regulations of Cannabis Act of 2019
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Restraining Excessive Federal Enforcement & Regulations of Cannabis Act of 2019 or the REFER Act of 2019
This bill limits restrictions on and penalties for certain cannabis-related activities that are authorized by state or local law (i.e., state-authorized).
Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of funds made available by Congress to a federal department or agency

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1455 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1455

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

                           February 28, 2019

  Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Neguse, Mr. 
 Perlmutter, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Pressley, and Ms. Gabbard) 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 2019'' or the ``REFER Act 
of 2019''.

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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