Bipartisan group of senators working to attach marijuana bill to must-pass bills

A bipartisan group of senators is working to attach marijuana legislation to must-pass bills at the end of the year, according to a new report.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the group, as a result of the Department of Justice's approval, is poised to implement legislation that would allow cannabis companies access to banking institutions and create grants for state expungement of past marijuana convictions.

The legislation that is being targeted stems from the pairing of two bills - the Secure and Fair Enforcement SAFE Banking Act and the Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement HOPE Act, according to the outlet.

The Senate's Senate passed the SAFE Banking Act six times, which allows federally insured banks to work with cannabis shops and related companies in states that have legalized marijuana.

The HOPE Act was introduced in the House last year and is intended to erase prior marijuana convictions. A summary of the bill allows the DOJ to grant grants to states and local governments to reduce the financial and administrative burden of expunging convictions for state cannabis offenses. Axios says the legislation will be attached to a must-pass year-end bill like the National Defense Authorization Act, which gets a vote annually.

Schumer has been working across the aisle in the Senate to promote the legislation, talking with prominent Republicans like Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Montana Sen. Steve Daines, and Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan.

A spokesman for Daines said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the senator is continuing to work hard to build consensus so we can pass SAFE Banking into law this year. On the federal level, cannabis is illegal, but several states have legalized the use and sale of medical marijuana. 21 states, two territories and the District of Columbia have enacted measures to regulate cannabis for recreational purposes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In November, voters in Missouri and Maryland voted to legalize recreational marijuana, further loosening state pot laws for more than 12 million Americans.

In October, President Biden announced the pardon of all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession.