House delays vote on hemp regulations until last week of Session

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The House has put off a vote on legislation setting up a regulatory framework for consumable hemp goods.

Two bills, one on policy (HB 7027) and another on taxation (HB 7029), were slated for consideration on the floor Friday. But Rep. Michelle Salzman, a Pensacola Republican and lead sponsor for both bills, asked for the legislation to be temporarily postponed.

That’s a risky move with just a week left in the Session, but Salzman said the House will take up the legislation

“It’s definitely still alive,” she told Florida Politics. “It’ll be heard on Tuesday.”

The Senate earlier this month passed its own hemp legislation (SB 438), and there remain notable differences between that bill and the language making its way through the House. One significant difference: The Senate bill restricts advertising hemp products outside of retail locations, while the House bill remains silent on marketing of goods but imposes strict packaging requirements.

Asked if any provisions must be ironed out before the House legislation reaches the floor, Salzman said that’s not the reason for the delay.

“We just pushed it due to timing,” she said.

As far as that goes, a Tuesday vote limits the time to bring chambers in line on the language of the bill. But in order for legislation to be sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his approval, the Senate and House must pass identical language before Session ends May 2.

Presuming the House and Senate come together on the legislation, it still will have to pass muster with DeSantis. The Governor last year vetoed a hemp bill passed by the Legislature, raising concerns about whether it would be too restrictive and hurt Florida businesses.