Action Alert May 2

**HEMP BILL PASSES SENATE!! YOUR CALLS WORKED!!!**

A big THANK YOU to all of you who made calls yesterday and in the past few weeks on the hemp bill! YOUR CALLS WORKED. Late in the day Thursday, the Senate passed H.267 with a 25-1 vote! (Senator Mazza was the only "no" vote) Thanks to all of your action, Senator Sears agreed late in the day to allow the bill to move out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a small change. Senator Sears told the Bennington Banner that he had received about 150 calls, and had seen several letters to the editor in the paper, and that's why he allowed the bill to go through - he listened to YOU!

His concern was that Vermont farmers would be subject to federal law, even if hemp were legal in VT. So, he added some language to the bill that says that the rules can't be written until federal policy changes. However, even with this language added, the VT statutes will still have a section added that says that industrial hemp is legal. There just won't be any way for farmers to get a license until we make some progress with the feds. We expect the House to agree with this change today, and then the bill will be on its way to the Governor.

WE'RE NOT DONE YET - WE NEED YOU TO TAKE TWO MORE ACTIONS to get this bill passed into law this year! We know it works when you take action, so please take 15 more minutes for this bill today!

Here's what you can do RIGHT NOW for Hemp for Vermont!

1) CALL GOVERNOR DOUGLAS! The governor has said this bill is not a priority, and that he has concerns about it. We need to let him know it IS a priority for Vermonters this year, and that we want him to sign it. Please call him TODAY, over the weekend, and on Monday. Call 800 649-6825 and leave a message asking Governor Douglas to "please sign the Hemp bill - H.267." Leave your name and number also.

2) WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR! Please take a moment to thank the heroes in the statehouse who really worked hard on this bill. Look at the list below, and write a quick letter to the editor thanking one or more of them, and send it to the papers in their counties. For a full list of daily newspapers and their contact info, visit: http://www.ruralvermont.org/archives/001025.html . Just write a quick letter saying that you appreciate the efforts of the legislators to pass the hemp bill, and why the bill is important to you. It should be no more than 3 paragraphs. Please be sure to mention the legislators by name (you can pick one or more, and send it to the paper in their area).
Representative David Zuckerman (Burlington Free Press) - Rep. Zuckerman worked very hard "behind the scenes" to help negotiate the process for moving the hemp bill. Without his help, the bill would likely not have passed! Also, earlier in the year, he sheparded the bill through the House, helping to garner the strong 127-9 vote in that body.
Senator Hull Maynard (Rutland Herald) - Senator Maynard has been the champion for hemp in the Senate this year. He helped to educate senators about the benefits of hemp, and helped to garner the strong vote (25-1) on the senate floor.
Senator Dick Sears (Bennington Banner) - Even though he had concerns about the bill, Senator Sears listened to Vermonters, and worked to resolve his concerns so the bill could pass.
Senator John Campbell (Valley News) - Senator Campbell worked to garner support in the Senate and as Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee was also helpful in getting the bill out of that committee.
Senator Peter Shumlin (Brattleboro Reformer) - Senator Shumlin helped to negotiate the language in the bill to alleviate Senator Sears' concerns.