Signs of life for marijuana bill

Two House lawmakers sponsoring a bill that would make it easier for banks to do business with legal marijuana businesses are seeking a strategy for moving forward now that several “pretty prominent senators” are on board.

The bipartisan backing in the upper chamber for the Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act of 2015 “gives us some real enthusiasm to press forward with this bill where it’s been kind of languishing in [the House] Financial Services over the last year or two — that’s why we really are starting to strike up our strategy sessions again,” Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) tells The Hill’s Molly K. Hooper in an on-camera interview.

{mosads}Original co-sponsors of the Senate bill include GOP presidential contender Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Patty Murray (Wash.) and Michael Bennet (Colo.).

Perlmutter’s colleague, Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.), says that “a year or two ago all we were getting was giggles and titters” about the bill.

“The fact of the matter is the Senate has now introduced a bill with broad bipartisan support. … They are sensing that this is something that has to be dealt with and they are trying to get with the program frankly.”

To hear Perlmutter and Heck discuss the measure, please watch the video above.