Rep. Debra Entenman (D–Kent) introduced HB 1790, the House version of the social equity in cannabis bill, which appears to be the same as the amended Senate bill. SB 5080, introduced by Rebecca Saldaña (D–Seattle), will be heard in the Senate Ways & Means Committee on February 13.

Both the House bill and the Senate substitute bill would:

• Allow new, additional social equity licensees to be issued for a location in a city, town, or county that allows cannabis retail or processing activity, regardless of the maximum number of retail cannabis licenses established by the LCB under current state law (RCW 69.50.345).
• Extend the program to July 1, 2032.
• Incentivize current cannabis licensees to submit a social equity plan to the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB).
• Require the LCB to select a third-party contractor to review and score applicants.
• Amend the following definitions:
  • “Disproportionately impacted area” – before, this term was defined by having a high poverty rate and high rate of participation in income based federal or state programs but would be expanded to be defined as a community that was likely to be impacted by the war on drugs, as determined by the board in consultation with the office of equity using a standardized statistical equation to identify areas with specific demographic indicators, including but not limited to a high rate of people living under the federal poverty level, a high rate of people who did not graduate from high school, a high rate of unemployment, or a high rate of people receiving public assistance.
  • “Social equity applicant” – someone who lived in a disproportionately impacted area for a minimum of five years between 1980 and 2010, has been or has a family member who has been arrested or convicted of a cannabis offense, has a household income less than the median household income, or is socially and economically disadvantaged as defined by the office of minority and women’s business enterprises.

Dates to remember

SB 5080 is scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means committee at 4 pm on Monday, February 13.

HB 1790 is scheduled for public hearing in the House Regulated Substances & Gaming Committee at 8 am on Thursday, February 16.