BOSTON — Legislation more than doubling the tax rate on retail marijuana and stripping local voters of the right to directly weigh in on whether to host retail pot shops has unanimously cleared a House committee.
After a House Ways and Means Committee poll closed on Tuesday at 10 a.m., a committee aide said the bill was reported out with a favorable report. Nineteen members voted to advance the bill with a favorable report and zero voted against the bill, but 11 members reserved their rights, which is like voting present.
The vote breakdown was unavailable, according to an aide, who cited the committee’s policy.
By using an electronic poll, the committee avoided the option of holding a meeting where members would publicly cast votes on the bill. The bill (H 3768) would raise the tax rate on marijuana sales from 12 percent to 28 percent, eliminate the requirement that municipal bans on marijuana facilities be approved by town referendum, and expand the Cannabis Control Commission from three members to five, among other changes to the ballot law.
House members have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to file amendments to the legislation and the bill is expected to be debated by the House in a formal session Wednesday.
The Senate, meanwhile, is proceeding with its own marijuana legislation (S 2090). The Senate has also set an amendment deadline of 5 p.m. Tuesday and is expected to debate its bill Thursday.
The Senate bill does not raise the ballot law’s 12 percent maximum tax rate, leaves the decision to ban marijuana facilities with the voters, and offers a slightly different governance structure for the CCC than the House bill.
Both sides have acknowledged the final bill will be negotiated by a six-member conference committee, and House and Senate leaders have expressed confidence they can finish the bill by June 30.