With less than a month left for the 86th Texas Legislature to get things done, some proposed bills regarding cannabis are languishing in committees and at least one has been quashed by Senate leadership.
House Bill 63, which would lessen the penalties for possession of small amounts of cannabis, passed by a wide margin in the House – the unofficial total was 103 votes for the bill, 42 against and two members not voting. Hays County Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) was one of the coauthors of the bill.
When the bill was sent to the Senate’s Criminal Justice Committee, however, Chair John Whitmire reportedly said he is not likely to give the bill a hearing. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said on Twitter that, “Criminal Justice Chair @Whitmire_John is right that #HB 63 is dead in the @Texas Senate. I join with those House Republicans who oppose this step toward legalization of marijuana.”
