HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1962        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 832

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN INDUSTRIAL HEMP LEGALIZATION COMMISSION..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be established an Industrial Hemp Legalization Commission which shall consist of two members of the house of representatives who shall be appointed by the speaker of the house; two members of the senate who shall be appointed by the president of the senate; 10 members who shall be appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be the Commissioner of Agriculture; 1 of whom shall be the Commissioner of Public Safety; 1 of whom shall be a representative from the Executive Office Housing and Economic Development; 1 of whom shall be a representative of the Board of Agriculture; 1 of whom shall be a representative of an agricultural trade organization; 2 of whom shall be representatives of the farmers of the commonwealth; and 1 of whom shall be the Dean of the College of Natural Resources at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; All members shall serve without compensation. Said commission may consult individuals and entities outside of its membership for research, advice, support, and other functions necessary and appropriate to accomplish the commission’s objectives.

(b) The commission shall make an investigation and study relative to improving the conditions necessary to, and determining the feasibility of, legalizing industrial hemp for the use of manufacturing in the commonwealth. The commission shall examine the viability of a legal industrial hemp industry including, but not limited to: (1) the collection of existing data concerning agricultural viability; (2) the collection of existing data concerning long-term economic benefits to the farmers who produce the hemp and the persons who use hemp in the production of materials; and (3) sites for the harvesting and the production of industrial hemp, taking into account current uses and any other environmental factors.

(c) The commission shall submit a report of its findings together with legislation, if any, to the chairs of the joint committee on environment, natural resources and agriculture and the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means no later than February 1, 2011.