Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has pledged to advance an updated marijuana banking bill with legislation on cannabis expungements and gun rights for medical marijuana patients included.
The amended Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, is scheduled for a markup session in the Senate Banking Committee on September 27.
In a statement following the bill’s introduction, Schumer said in a statement that he intends to bring the SAFER Banking Act to the Senate “with all due speed” and including the Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act and the Gun Rights and Marijuana (GRAM) Act.
The HOPE Act would provide support for states to expunge low-level marijuana records and the GRAM Act would remove federal firearms-related restrictions on medical marijuana patients.
“I’ve long advocated for expungement of records for cannabis offences, and with SAFER Banking moving through the committee in such a strong, bipartisan way, I believe now is the time to get it done,” Schumer said.
“I look forward to seeing the bill pass out of committee, so we can vote on it on the Senate floor.”
Meanwhile, the SAFER Banking Act remains on track to gain approval of the Senate Banking Committee at its markup session next week.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (Democrat-Ohio) told Politico on Wednesday that he expects a “strong majority” of the Committee’s members to support the legislation.
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