Despite initially failing in the state senate, lawmakers will cast another vote on legalizing industrial hemp production.
Governor Kristi Noem opposes hemp production legalization. Senators did vote in favor of a broad amendment brought by the governor’s office, but ultimately the bill did not receive enough votes to pass.
Republican State Senator Jordan Youngberg is a prime sponsor of the bill. He says he’s looking into changes that can be made to the bill.
“That’s what we’re going to look into right now,” Youngberg says. “We think we can fix some stuff and hopefully get a favorable vote on it.”
The bill sets up an industrial hemp licensure program fund, which requires lawmakers to give a two-thirds majority vote. It failed 21-14.
A companion bill to the one legalizing industrial hemp production does something similar. It appropriates $10-thousand to develop a hemp licensure program.
House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of hemp production earlier this session.
Senate lawmakers will vote again on legalizing industrial hemp Wednesday.