Bill Text: CA SB595 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Cannabis: state licensing fee waivers: needs-based applicants and licensees: local equity applicants and licensees.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-10-12 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 852, Statutes of 2019. [SB595 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SB595-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Senate  April 10, 2019

Amended  IN  Senate  March 27, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 595

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Introduced by Senator Bradford

February 22, 2019

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An act to add Section 26149 26249 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to cannabis.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 595, as amended, Bradford. Cannabis: local equity programs: state fee waivers.

The Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), an initiative measure approved as Proposition 64 at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, authorizes a person who obtains a state license under AUMA to engage in commercial adult-use cannabis activity pursuant to that license and applicable local ordinances. The Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), among other things, consolidates the licensure and regulation of commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis activities. MAUCRSA generally divides responsibility for the state licensure and regulation of commercial cannabis activity among the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the State Department of Public Health.

Existing law, the California Cannabis Equity Act of 2018, authorizes the Bureau of Cannabis Control, upon request by a local jurisdiction, to provide technical assistance, as defined, to a local equity program that helps local equity applicants or local equity licensees. Existing law, upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature, authorizes an eligible local jurisdiction to submit an application to the bureau for a grant to assist local equity applicants and local equity licensees through that local jurisdiction’s equity program. Existing law requires an eligible local jurisdiction that receives grant funds pursuant to these provisions to use the grant funds to provide prescribed assistance to local equity applicants and licensees within that jurisdiction. Existing law authorizes a local equity program to include tiered fees or fee waivers for cannabis-related permits and licenses.

This bill would require a state licensing authority, on or before July 1, 2020, to develop and implement a program to provide a fee deferral or waive the fee required to obtain or renew a state license issued by that authority waiver for an application fee or a licensing fee for a local equity applicant or local equity licensee. The bill would authorize a licensing authority to adopt emergency regulations to implement this provision.

The Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act, an initiative measure, authorizes the Legislature to amend the act to further the purposes and intent of the act with a ²/₃ vote of the membership of both houses of the Legislature, except as provided.

This bill would declare that its provisions further the purposes and intent of the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act.

Digest Key

Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 26249 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:

26249.

 Notwithstanding Sections 26012 and 26180, on or before July 1, 2020, a licensing authority shall develop and implement a program to provide a fee deferral or waive the fee required to obtain or renew a license issued by that licensing authority pursuant to waiver for an application fee or a licensing fee otherwise required by this division for a local equity applicant or local equity licensee. A licensing authority may adopt emergency regulations to implement this section. The adoption, amendment, repeal, or readoption of a regulation authorized by this section is deemed to address an emergency, for purposes of Sections 11346.1 and 11349.6 of the Government Code, and the licensing authorities are hereby exempted from the requirements of subdivision (b) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code.

SEC. 2.

 The Legislature finds and declares that this act furthers the purposes and intent of the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act.