Another cannabis-related bill has passed the Delaware House of Representatives.
A bill that would help cannabis-related businesses with financing and accounting was passed unanimously by the state House Thursday.
House Bill 355, sponsored by Rep. Ed Osienski, D-Newark, provides legal protections for financial institutions and other entities that provide financial or accounting services to cannabis-related businesses that are licensed or registered under Delaware law.
It clarifies that banks, credit unions, armored car services and providers of accounting services are not subject to prosecution under Delaware law for providing lawful services to licensed businesses engaged in the production, distribution and sale of cannabis in Delaware.
HB 355 also aims to facilitate the operation of cannabis-related businesses by helping to ensure that such businesses have access to necessary financial and accounting services.
There is no fiscal impact on the state if the bill becomes law.
“As many know, national banks and credit unions do not serve the marijuana industry because they are concerned about potential penalties and prosecutions due to the federal statutes,” Osienski said. “A local bank is better positioned to serve the marijuana industry because they are regulated by state law under which the state’s legal marijuana industry also operates.”
Rep. Jeff Spiegelman, R-Clayton, thanked Osienski.
“The need for this bill shows the disservice that has continually been done to the American people by the federal government that refuses to do what’s right by the American people when it comes to this topic,” he said.
Also in hearing, House Bill 313, sponsored by Rep. DeShanna Neal, D-Elsmere, ensures that all female inmates in the Delaware Department of Correction, at level IV or V, receive annual or biennial screening mammograms as recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force.
Level IV includes work release centers, home confinement (electronic monitoring), residential drug treatment and violation of probation centers.
Level V includes 24 hour incarceration in jail/prison – kail describes those offenders serving one year or less.
Both bills passed unanimously and will make their way to the Senate chamber for debate.
Share this Post