Restraining Excessive Federal Enforcement & Regulations of Cannabis Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-1455
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-13]
Introduced: 2019-02-28
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Civil actions and liability

Criminal procedure and sentencing

Drug, alcohol, tobacco use

State and local government operations
Latest action: action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-02-28
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Restraining Excessive Federal Enforcement &amp; Regulations of Cannabis Act of 2019 or the REFER Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill limits restrictions on and penalties for certain cannabis-related activities that are authorized by state or local law (i.e., state-authorized).</p> <p>Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of funds made available by Congress to a federal department or agency</p> <ul> <li>to restrict the state-authorized use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of cannabis;</li> <li>to detain, prosecute, sentence, or initiate civil proceedings against an individual, business, or property involved in state-authorized cannabis-related activities; or</li> <li>to penalize a financial institution for providing financial services to a business engaged in state-authorized cannabis-related activities.</li> </ul>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1455 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.

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 . 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. 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.