2020 -- H 7685 | |
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LC003758 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS-THE RHODE ISLAND CANNABIS EQUITY ACT | |
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Introduced By: Representatives Ranglin-Vassell, Donovan, Walsh, Carson, and Barros | |
Date Introduced: February 26, 2020 | |
Referred To: House Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Title 21 of the General Laws entitled "FOOD AND DRUGS" is hereby |
2 | amended by adding thereto the following chapter: |
3 | CHAPTER 28.11 |
4 | THE RHODE ISLAND CANNABIS EQUITY ACT |
5 | 21-28.11-1. Short title. |
6 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the Rhode Island Cannabis Equity Act. |
7 | 21-28.11-2. Legislative findings. |
8 | The general assembly finds and declares the following: |
9 | (1) In 2005, Rhode Island passed the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical |
10 | Marijuana Act. Rhode Island has also decriminalized possession of one ounce or less of cannabis |
11 | for personal use. With the advent of different states throughout the country legalizing cannabis, |
12 | the general assembly finds that regulating it in a way that reduces barriers to entry into the legal, |
13 | regulated market would benefit the state and those individuals who are inequitably being denied |
14 | the opportunity to enter into the business of selling and cultivating cannabis due to financial, |
15 | educational and other barriers. |
16 | (2) Cannabis prohibition had a devastating impact on communities in Rhode Island and |
17 | across the United States. Persons convicted of a cannabis offense and their families suffer the |
18 | long-term consequences of prohibition. These individuals have a more difficult time entering the |
19 | newly created adult-use cannabis industry due, in part, to a lack of access to capital, business |
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1 | space, technical support, and regulatory compliance assistance. |
2 | (3) During the era of cannabis prohibition in Rhode Island, the burdens of arrests, |
3 | convictions, and long-term collateral consequences arising from a conviction affected people of |
4 | all races at nearly identical rates. The collateral consequences associated with cannabis law |
5 | violations, coupled with generational poverty and a lack of access to resources, make it |
6 | extraordinarily difficult for persons with convictions to enter the newly regulated industry. |
7 | (4) Offering technical support, regulatory compliance assistance, and assistance with |
8 | securing the capital necessary to begin a business will further the stated intent of this act by |
9 | reducing barriers to licensure and employment in the regulated industry. |
10 | (5) Offering these supports will also aid the state in its goal of eliminating or reducing the |
11 | illicit cannabis market by bringing more people into the legal marketplace. |
12 | (6) It is the intent of the general assembly in enacting this act to ensure that persons most |
13 | harmed by cannabis criminalization and poverty be offered assistance to enter the multibillion |
14 | dollar cannabis industry as entrepreneurs or as employees with high quality, well-paying jobs. |
15 | (7) It is the intent of the general assembly in enacting this act that the cannabis industry |
16 | be representative of the state’s population, and that barriers to entering the industry are reduced |
17 | through support to those most in need. |
18 | (h) The general assembly finds and declares that this act furthers the purposes and intent |
19 | of the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act and prospectively will |
20 | reduce barriers in the future as Rhode Island contemplates legalization of cannabis. |
21 | 21-28.11-3. Definitions. |
22 | For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply: |
23 | (1) "Areas of disproportionate impact" means geographical areas that, due to statute, |
24 | policy or other law, have been adversely affected more than other areas within the same |
25 | municipality or state. |
26 | (2) "Eligible local jurisdiction" means a city or town in Rhode Island that has adopted or |
27 | operates a local equity program. |
28 | (3) "Local equity applicant" means an applicant who has submitted, or will submit, an |
29 | application to a local jurisdiction to engage in commercial cannabis activity within the municipal |
30 | boundaries of that jurisdiction and who meets the requirements of that jurisdiction's local equity |
31 | program. |
32 | (4) "Local equity licensee" means a person who has obtained a license from a local |
33 | jurisdiction to engage in commercial cannabis activity within the municipal boundaries of that |
34 | jurisdiction and who meets the requirements of that jurisdiction's local equity program. |
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1 | (5) "Local equity program" means a program adopted or operated by a local jurisdiction |
2 | that focuses on inclusion and support of individuals and communities in Rhode Island's cannabis |
3 | industry who are linked to populations or neighborhoods that were negatively or |
4 | disproportionately impacted by cannabis criminalization. Local equity programs may include, but |
5 | are not limited to, the following types of services: |
6 | (i) Small business support services offering technical assistance to those persons from |
7 | economically disadvantaged communities that experience high rates of poverty or communities |
8 | most harmed by cannabis prohibition, determined by historically high rates of arrests or |
9 | convictions for cannabis law violations; |
10 | (ii) Tiered fees or fee waivers for cannabis-related permits and licenses; |
11 | (iii) Assistance in paying state regulatory and licensing fees; |
12 | (iv) Assistance securing business locations prior to or during the application process; |
13 | (v) Assistance securing capital investments; |
14 | (vi) Assistance with regulatory compliance; |
15 | (vii) Assistance in recruitment, training, and retention of a qualified and diverse |
16 | workforce, including transitional workers. |
17 | (6) "Transitional worker" means a person who, at the time of starting employment at the |
18 | business premises, resides in a zip code or census track area with higher than average |
19 | unemployment, crime, or child death rates, and faces at least one of the following barriers to |
20 | employment: |
21 | (i) Is homeless; |
22 | (ii) Is a custodial single parent; |
23 | (iii) Is receiving public assistance; |
24 | (iv) Lacks a GED or high school diploma; |
25 | (v) Has a criminal record or other involvement with the criminal justice system; |
26 | (vi) Suffers from chronic unemployment; |
27 | (vii) Is emancipated from the foster care system; |
28 | (viii) Is a veteran; or |
29 | (ix) Is over sixty-five (65) years of age and is financially compromised. |
30 | 21-28.11-4. Establishment of board. |
31 | (a) The general assembly shall establish a board for the purpose of overseeing local |
32 | equity programs. The board shall have five (5) members, three (3) of whom shall be appointed by |
33 | the speaker of the house of representatives and two (2) of whom shall be appointed by the senate |
34 | president. Two (2) members of the board shall have experience in cultivating cannabis; one shall |
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1 | have experience in operating or managing a retail or wholesale business; one shall have |
2 | experience in banking and financing; and, one shall have experience in law enforcement and shall |
3 | be designated as the compliance agent of the board. |
4 | (b) The board shall oversee the distribution of all grants, loans and monies appropriated |
5 | by the general assembly for use in establishing and supporting applicants to local equity |
6 | programs. |
7 | (c) The board may, upon request by a local jurisdiction, provide technical assistance to a |
8 | local equity program that helps local equity applicants or local equity licensees. When |
9 | determining whether to provide technical assistance, the board shall make individual |
10 | determinations based on the reasonableness of the request and available resources. |
11 | (d) "Technical assistance" includes providing training and educational sessions regarding |
12 | state cannabis licensing processes and requirements to equity applicants or equity licensees that |
13 | are coordinated with the local equity program. |
14 | 21-28.11-5. Board review of applications. |
15 | (a)(1) Upon appropriation of funds by the general assembly, an eligible local jurisdiction |
16 | may, in the form and manner prescribed by the board, submit an application to the board for a |
17 | grant to assist local equity applicants and local equity licensees through that local jurisdiction's |
18 | equity program. |
19 | (2) The board shall review an application based on the following factors: |
20 | (i) Whether the local jurisdiction is an eligible local jurisdiction; |
21 | (ii) Whether the local jurisdiction has adopted or operates a local equity program; |
22 | (iii) Whether the local jurisdiction has identified a local equity applicant or a local equity |
23 | licensee that the local jurisdiction could assist, as defined in subsection (b) of this section, |
24 | through use of the grant funding; |
25 | (iv) Whether the local jurisdiction has demonstrated the ability to provide, or created a |
26 | plan to provide, the services identified in subsection (b) of this section; |
27 | (v) The number of existing and potential local equity applicants and local equity licensees |
28 | in the local jurisdiction; |
29 | (vi) Priority shall be given to those applicants that: |
30 | (A) Have resided in areas of disproportionate impact for five (5) of the last ten (10) years, |
31 | or |
32 | (B) Have resided in Rhode Island for twenty-four (24) months, and have a prior |
33 | conviction under chapter 28 of title 21, or |
34 | (C) Have resided in Rhode Island for twenty-four (24) months, and have a parent or |
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1 | spouse with a prior drug-related conviction. |
2 | (vi) Any additional relevant and reasonable criteria the board deems necessary. |
3 | (3) The board shall grant funding to an eligible local jurisdiction based on its review of |
4 | the factors in subsection (a)(2) of this section. If applications for funding are greater than the |
5 | amount appropriated for this grant program, the board shall prorate the funding among the |
6 | qualified applicants. |
7 | (b) An eligible local jurisdiction that receives a grant pursuant to subsection (a) of this |
8 | section shall use grant funds to assist local equity applicants and local equity licensees in that |
9 | local jurisdiction to gain entry to, and to successfully operate in, the state's regulated cannabis |
10 | marketplace. For purposes of this section, "assist" includes, but is not limited to, any of the |
11 | following methods: |
12 | (1) To provide a loan or a grant to a local equity applicant or local equity licensee to |
13 | assist the applicant or licensee with startup costs. For purposes of this section, "startup costs" |
14 | include, but are not limited to, rent, leases, local and state application and licensing fees, |
15 | regulatory adherence, testing of cannabis, equipment, capital improvements, and training and |
16 | retention of a qualified and diverse workforce, provided that no one applicant shall receive more |
17 | than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in financial assistance. |
18 | (2) To support local equity program efforts to provide sources of capital to local equity |
19 | applicants and local equity licensees. |
20 | (3) To provide direct technical assistance to local equity applicants and local equity |
21 | licensees. |
22 | (4) To assist in the administration of local equity programs. |
23 | (c) An eligible local jurisdiction that receives a grant pursuant to subsection (a) of this |
24 | section shall, on or before January 1 of the year following receipt of the grant and annually |
25 | thereafter for each year that grant funds are expended, submit an annual report to the board that |
26 | includes all of the following information: |
27 | (1) How the local jurisdiction disbursed grant funds; |
28 | (2) How the local jurisdiction identified local equity applicants or local equity licensees, |
29 | including how the local jurisdiction determines who qualifies as a local equity applicant or local |
30 | equity licensee; |
31 | (3) The number of local equity applicants and local equity licensees that were served by |
32 | the grant funds; and |
33 | (4) Demographic data on equity applicants, equity licensees, and other applicants and |
34 | licensees in the jurisdiction, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual |
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1 | orientation, income level, prior convictions, and veteran status. This information will be |
2 | consolidated and reported without the individual's identifying information. |
3 | (d) An eligible local jurisdiction that receives a grant pursuant to this section shall use no |
4 | more than ten percent (10%) of the state grant for administration, including employing staff or |
5 | hiring consultants to administer grants and the program. |
6 | 21-28.11-6. Duties of board. |
7 | To facilitate greater equity in business ownership and employment in the cannabis |
8 | market, the board shall: |
9 | (1) Serve as a point of contact for local equity programs; |
10 | (2) On or before July 1, 2021, publish approved local equity ordinances and model local |
11 | equity ordinances created by the board with input from cannabis advocacy groups and zoning |
12 | officials from participating municipalities. Advocacy groups may also include, but are not limited |
13 | to, minority business owners and entrepreneurs, organizations with expertise in addressing |
14 | barriers to employment and licensure for low-income communities or persons with prior arrests |
15 | or convictions, and unions representing cannabis workers; and |
16 | (3) To the extent feasible, coordinate with the relevant local jurisdictions to carry out the |
17 | responsibilities described in this section. |
18 | 21-28.11-7. Reporting requirements. |
19 | (a) On or before July 1, 2022, the board shall submit a report to the general assembly |
20 | regarding the progress of local equity programs that have received funding. |
21 | (b) The report shall include, but is not limited to, the following information: |
22 | (1) The cities and towns that have enacted local equity programs; |
23 | (2) The number of local equity applicants and general applicants applying for and |
24 | receiving licenses in the jurisdictions that received grants; and |
25 | (3) Information collected from all jurisdictions and applicants including profit and loss |
26 | statements, the number of employees of each applicant, the average weekly wage and benefits |
27 | provided to each employee and an accounting of any funds reimbursed to the local equity |
28 | program by the applicants. |
29 | (c) The board shall post the report required by this section and it shall be available upon |
30 | request under § 38-2-1 et. seq. |
31 | 21-28.11-8. Use of funds. |
32 | Funds realized from the imposition of fees and taxes in accordance with this chapter shall |
33 | be directed back into the areas of disproportionate impact to fund the communities’ schools, after |
34 | school programs, community centers, or programs offering diversion for children, training and |
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1 | support for successful re-entry of convicted felons to their community. |
2 | 21-28.11-9. Expungement. |
3 | (a) Any individual who is an applicant for a loan or grant under this chapter who has a |
4 | prior conviction for a cannabis offense, which is no longer a criminal offense, shall be entitled to |
5 | have such criminal conviction expunged pursuant to § 12-1.3-1, et seq. |
6 | (b) Any prior convictions for misdemeanor or felony possession of marijuana shall be |
7 | included as eligible for expungement under subsection (a) of this section. |
8 | (c) Any individual who has been incarcerated as a result of a cannabis offense shall have |
9 | all fees waived with respect to this section. |
10 | 21-28.11-10. Severability. |
11 | The provisions of this chapter are severable. If any provision of this chapter or its |
12 | application is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can |
13 | be given effect without the invalid provision or application. |
14 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC003758 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS-THE RHODE ISLAND CANNABIS EQUITY ACT | |
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1 | This act would establish a board and appropriates funds from the legislature to create a |
2 | local cannabis equity program to allow those people who want to enter the business of selling |
3 | marijuana with state funding and technical assistance to do so. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC003758 | |
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