On Monday, May 9 at House of Representatives Democratic Policy Committee, chaired by the state Rep. Ryan Bizarro, D-Erie, will meet in Philadelphia to discuss the Pennsylvania hemp industry and how to build that industry to generate revenue for Commonwealth farmers.
Hemp, which can be used to produce everything from textiles and building materials to cannabidiol (CBD) oils and extracts, has been removed from federal law Controlled Substances Act in 2018.
Pennsylvania started around the same time Pilot Research Program on Industrial Hemp, and in 2019, it became one of the first states to have a commercial program.
However, special crop was not an straightforward source of income for breeders, who will report these regulations, strict growing standards, and a juvenile market make it complex to make a profit.
So far 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, which oversees hemp licensing in the Community, issued 250 permits for breeders.
In 2021, the department announced that it had issued 426 permits for growing hemp.
As always, below are the top five stories from this week.
1. Former offenders who completed the re-entry program qualified for Philly Housing Authority housing
The federal probation office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania operates a court-appointed re-entry program called Supervision to Aid Reentry (STAR) for ex-offenders on probation with the goal of a successful and productive re-entry into society.
The STAR program provides intensive supervision and assists returning citizens with education, training, employment and other services. In partnership with the city’s housing agency, people who successfully complete the program are eligible for Second Chance Vouchers, which will pay for their apartment rent for up to two years.
2. Hope for Governor Pa. GOP Mastriano participated in a campaign promoting QAnon
Published reports indicate that the leading Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, as well as other GOP luminaries, appeared in Gettysburg last weekend at an event promoting QAnon and conspiracy theories about the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The candidate, state senator Doug Mastriano, took part in the so-called conference “Patriots rise for God and Homeland”, according to Right Wing Watchwebsite monitoring the far right.
Mastriano was joined by Republican lieutenant governor hopeful Teddy Daniels; Maryland gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox; Liz Harrington, spokeswoman for former President Donald Trump; and former Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis, according to the Philadelphia Inquirerwho first reported this story.
3. Wolf: Following Leak of Supreme Court’s Roe Opinion, ‘Abortion Is and Will Remain Legal in Pennsylvania’
Gov. Tom Wolf says “abortion is and will remain legal in Pennsylvania” in the wake of the unprecedented leak of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion that appears to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in Pennsylvania. United States.
The draft opinion was reported by Politico written by Justice Samuel Alito, who stated that “Roe and [Planned Parenthood v.] Casey’s decision should be rejected. The latter is a reference to the Supreme Court’s 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which further clarified abortion law.
A ruling overturning Roe would return decisions about abortion rights to individual states, which could then severely restrict or ban access to abortion. The Supreme Court is expected to issue its opinion after its current term ends in June.
4. The House passed a bill limiting the Philly DA to two terms
On Tuesday, the House passed a Republican-written bill that would limit the number of elected district attorneys in Philadelphia to two four-year terms.
Standard, sponsored by State Representative Martina White of Philadelphiaapproved the lower house by a majority of 115 to 88.
The bill, which now goes to a vote in the Senate, would limit the role of top prosecutor in Pennsylvania’s largest city – and only Philadelphia – to two four-year terms. The proposal appears to target Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat who has been targeted by GOP lawmakers.
5. Brother of 2 MOVE bombing victims calls on Philly to release their remains
The brother of two sisters who were among 11 people killed by Philadelphia police in the 1985 bombing of a MOVE group home in West Philadelphia has demanded that city officials release their remains so he can give them a proper burial.
“They are my sisters. This is my immediate family,” Lionell Dotson Sr. said at a news conference outside City Hall last week. “They took them from me. They hold them like trophies. I’m asking Mayor (Jim) Kenney to release them to me and do it quickly. This city is very indebted to me and we want it to pay it off.”
And that’s a week. We’ll meet here again next week.
