S0839, a bill that would legalize industrial hemp for production within the state, was introduced on Jan. 14 by Senators Lee Bright (R-12) and Kevin Bryant (R-3). It passed through the state senate with a unanimous 42-0 vote. It will now have to pass through the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee before the whole house can concur with the senate’s decision.
PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS – It doesn’t matter where you live in the state, please follow all these steps to support S0839.
1. Call the Committee Chair, Nelson Hardwick. Strongly, but respectfully urge him to move this important bill forward to a vote in his committee. A phone call has 10x the impact of an email.
(803) 734-3022
2. Call the rest of the committee members. Again, be strong, but respectful. Urge each of them to take action to move the bill forward and vote YES on S0839. If they do not commit to a YES vote, ask them why. If they’re undecided, let them know you’ll call back in a few days.
David Hiott (R) 1st Vice Chair (803) 734-3323
Steve Moss (R) 2nd Vice Chair (803) 212-6885
Ted Vick (D) Secretary (803) 734-2999
Bill Chumley (R) (803) 212-6894
Heather Ammons Crawford (R) (803) 212-6933
Bill Crosby (R) (803) 212-6879
Chandra Dillard (D) (803) 212-6791
Kirkman Finlay (R) (803) 212-6943
J. Wayne George (D) (803) 212-6936
Stephen Goldfinch (R) (803) 212-6927
Kevin Hardee (R) (803) 212-6796
Bill Hixon (R) (803) 212-6898
Kenneth Hodges (D) (803) 734-3062
Patsy Knight (D) (803) 734-2960
Mandy Powers Norrell (D) (803) 212-6937
R. Shannon Riley (R) (803) 212-6939
Edward Southard (R) (803) 212-6930
3. Call Back – any NO or UNDECIDED – in 3-4 days. Ask if they’ve had a chance to review the legislation and what their opposition might be. Comment below or contact us at http://ask.tenthamendmentcenter.com with any information you get.
4. SHARE this information widely. By facebook, twitter, email, and more.
5. Write a letter to the editor. Look up your local newspaper and submit a letter to the editor voicing your support for S0839. It is essential for the economic well-being of SC citizens for the federal ban on industrial hemp to be nullified. Passing S0839 will make that happen.
6. Report Back. Tell us how your actions went. Click the button below
