As congressional lawmakers work to advance federal marijuana legalization, a bipartisan duo on Thursday filed a bill that would incentivize states and local governments to expunge cannabis records in their jurisdictions.<\/p>\n
Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are sponsoring the legislation, titled the Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act.<\/p>\n
It would encourage states to provide relief to people with non-violent marijuana convictions through federal grants\u2014the State Expungement Opportunity Grant Program, run through the Department of Justice\u2014that would help cover the administrative costs of identifying and clearing eligible cases. The bill proposes to appropriate $2 million in funding to support the program for each fiscal year starting in 2023 and ending in 2032.<\/p>\n
Specifically, the grants could be used by states to purchase technology used to facilitate expungements at scale, automate the relief process, fund legal clinics to help people get their records cleared and support \u201cinnovative partnerships\u201d to provide mass relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving been both a public defender and a prosecutor, I have seen first-hand how cannabis law violations can foreclose a lifetime of opportunities ranging from employment to education to housing,\u201d Joyce said in a press release. \u201cThe collateral damage caused by these missed opportunities is woefully underestimated and has impacted entire families, communities, and regional economies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nGoes to show that lawmakers don\u2019t have to agree on everything to find common ground on solutions to the challenges facing everyday Americans. https:\/\/t.co\/lqWmY6uoKH<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Dave Joyce (@RepDaveJoyce) December 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\u201cBy helping states establish and improve expungement programs for minor cannabis offenses, the HOPE Act will pave the way for expanded economic opportunities to thrive alongside effective investments to redress the consequences of the War on Drugs,\u201d the congressman said.<\/p>\n
Ocasio-Cortez said that \u201cas we continue to advocate for the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana, this bipartisan bill will provide localities the resources they need to expunge drug charges that continue to hold back Americans, disproportionately people of color, from employment, housing and other opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAs we continue to advocate for the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana, this bill will provide needed resources to expunge drug charges that continue to hold back Americans \u2013 disproportionately people of color \u2013 from employment, housing and other opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) December 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Under the bill, state governors and local governments \u201cshall submit to the attorney general an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the attorney general may reasonably require\u201d to qualify for the grants.<\/p>\n
Further, the legislation would require the attorney general to carry out a study on the impacts of cannabis convictions on individuals, as well as the financial costs for states that incarcerate people over non-violent marijuana offenses.<\/p>\n
Officials in jurisdictions that receive the grants would be required to \u201cpublish on a publicly accessible website information about the availability and process of expunging convictions for cannabis offenses, including information for individuals living in a different jurisdiction who were convicted of a cannabis offense in that jurisdiction.\u201d<\/p>\n
They would also need to \u201csubmit to the attorney general a report describing the uses of such funds, and how many convictions for cannabis offenses have been expunged using such funds.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the proposal wouldn\u2019t end federal marijuana prohibition, it would help facilitate relief at the state level where most cannabis arrests take place in the U.S.<\/p>\n
The bill also holds bipartisan appeal. It\u2019s an important, albeit incremental, move to right the wrongs of the drug war, as progressives have been fighting for; it\u2019s also narrowly tailored, simply giving an incentive to states to enact a reform that has majority support among the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis bipartisan effort represents the growing consensus to reform marijuana policies in a manner that addresses the harms inflicted by prohibition,\u201d NORML Political Director Justin Strekal said. \u201cIt provides cash assistance for state and localities that are wisely choosing to remove these stigmatizing records. There is no justification for continuing to prevent tens of millions of Americans from fully participating in their community and workforce simply because they bear the burden of a past marijuana conviction.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, efforts to provide necessary relief to those who carry the scarlet letter of a marijuana conviction must be carried out primarily by state and local officials,\u201d he said. \u201cHaving this federal incentive available will go a long way toward empowering local leaders and citizens to take these steps to address the past injustices brought about by the failed policy of marijuana prohibition, and will also move us closer toward embracing more reasonable cannabis policies.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, while there\u2019s been an open question about what President Joe Biden would do with a broad marijuana reform bill if it arrived on his desk given his ongoing opposition to adult-use legalization, he\u2019s repeatedly said that nobody should be incarcerated over cannabis<\/a> and that records should be expunged, so this proposal could potentially garner his favor.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a similar provision to incentivize state-level expungements included in the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act that cleared the House Judiciary Committee<\/a> in September. But that legislation is far more wide-ranging in that it would federally deschedule cannabis.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) are finalizing their own bill to federally legalize marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n
More recently, GOP lawmakers filed a legalization bill<\/a> that is being framed as a compromise between progressive proposals and more scaled-back legislation that Republican legislators have introduced in recent sessions. It also contains expungements provisions.<\/p>\n
Read the full text of the new marijuana expungements bill<\/a> below:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Click to access hope-act-mm-copy.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n
\nTop Federal Drug Official Personally Hesitates To Study Marijuana Because Of Schedule I Research Barriers<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
The post GOP Congressman And AOC Team Up On Marijuana Bill To Incentivize State-Level Expungements<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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