Give Em the Old Razzle
Dazzle
Wednesday was a day full
of excitement on the hemp front. It was also a day of learning, where
hemp enthusiasts got a first hand look at the theatrics which often go
unnoticed in Frankfort. For full effect, you may want to play this while you consider the following
The main player in the
drama? Rep Tom McKee, Chairman of the House Agriculture and Small
Business Committee, who attempted to single-handedly derail the push for
licensing hemp farmers. However, his shenanigans and blatant disregard
for the people of Kentucky has turned out to be a big mistake on his part.
The hearing was dedicated entirely to Senate Bill 50, which had already
flown through the Senate with much celebration and an overwhelming 31-6
bipartisan vote in favor.
The day started out
wonderfully well. The committee hearing was held bright and early at 8AM,
a difficult time for most average citizens and hemp supporters to attend.
Even so, pro-hemp, pro-jobs supporters gathered in such numbers that they
spilled out in the hallway and had to be removed to an overflow room. The
atmosphere was buzzing with energy, media and bloggers turned out in droves to
cover the hearing, and even the legislators seemed enthusiastic about the big
day ahead of them.
Give 'Em the Old Hocus
Pocus
 |
| Photo of Chairman McKee from tommckee.com |
As the hearing began,
Chairman McKee read the "Order of the Day," or the specific agenda
which would be under consideration. Much to the surprise of hemp
activists, who watched as Senate Bill 50 sailed unanimously through the Senate
Agriculture Committee, Chairman McKee announced that the House Ag Committee
would only hear a "discussion" of the bill, but would not be voting
on Senate Bill 50 at all! Instead of voting on this bill,
which has enormous public support, Chairman McKee announced that he would be
presenting a last minute committee substitute in place of Senate Bill 50.
The substitute was to be voted on, but not the original! (I
will get into the committee substitute and why it is wrong on so many
levels--in a later post. It will take an entire post to discuss the sub
and how we're already miles beyond what the committee substitute would have us
do.)
How Can They Hear the
Truth Above the Roar?
Nevertheless, the meeting
began and the first testimony came from Major Anthony Terry of the Kentucky
State Police. Major Terry represents the Kentucky State Police on the
Industrial Hemp Commission. His statements mirrored those of KSP
Commissioner Rodney Brewer, including his claim that hemp growers could somehow
ingest enough industrial hemp to get high, and also that distinguishing hemp
from marijuana would be "too hard" for KSP. His testimony was
met with several tough questions from several legislators on the panel.
Chairman McKee, skipping over hemp-supporting legislators, entertained
questioning from legislators who he had pegged as "nays." As it
turned out, all of the legislators who were given a chance to speak were
strongly in favor of hemp, as was clear by their pointed questions and
passionate statements regarding hemp.
McKee was as surprised
as we were to learn that many legislators who were pegged as being on the fence
were already well educated and enthusiastic about the possibility of opening up
a new market for farmers. Representatives Heath, DeCesare, Riner,
Bechler, and Bell all questioned the State Police's intentions and were very
intent on proving that Senate Bill 50 would cover all of law enforcement's
concerns. Representative Jonathan Shell gave an impassioned dialogue
about supporting this bill, stating that he was "baffled" by the
State Police's refusal to support Senate Bill 50 and this crop.
Representative Ryan Quarles even related a story of his grandfather, who
grew hemp to support his sons in World War II. Representative Richard
Henderson, who represents Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo on the Industrial
Hemp Commission and who sponsored hemp legislation last year, asked very direct
and uncomfortable questions regarding the use of taxpayer money to fund the
State Police's eradication efforts. His questions were clearly intended
to dig into how that money was really spent, and especially whether that
eradication money was used to fund anyone's salary. Very uncomfortable
questions indeed.
All of these legislators
made fantastic arguments in favor of Senate Bill 50, and the pro-hemp
testimonies hadn't even been heard yet! State Police and their allies
were making our case for us, and blowing holes into their own arguments right
before our eyes! And the legislators seemed to smell blood because the
comments and questions that had arisen spontaneously from these lawmakers
couldn't have been scripted any better. They made the case for hemp
because their eyes have been opened to the truth! It was as though they
had channeled Kentucky farmers into their tough interrogation! Once Major
Terry and his associates were finished, the hemp lobby moved in for the kill.
At least that's how it looked to the casual observer....
Give Em the Old Three
Ring Circus
As the pro-hemp players
moved into position, the tension in the room was quite palpable. It was
obvious that most of the audience in attendance were in favor of Senate Bill
50, and everyone waited, hardly breathing, to hear what would be said.
Senator Paul Hornback stated his case as a farmer and businessman, and
explained the importance of diversifying for Kentucky farmers. He
encouraged competition between farmers and was very clear that any improvements
in the realm of agriculture had far reaching values that could not be
quantified in terms of just dollars and cents. Each and every opportunity
for one farmer opens up doors for other farmers to fill in the gaps. And
every time a farmer makes a progressive move, it allows other farmers to follow
suit!
Next up to bat for the
pro-jobs team was Senator Robin Webb. Her testimony was extremely
powerful and inspiring, quoting Galatians 6:9, which just so happened to
be the testimonial which popped up that morning on her daily testimonial iPhone
app; "Let
us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up." How appropriate, when the next
speaker was to be Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, yet another lifelong
farmer who wants to see hemp grown in Kentucky. Comer continued to make
the same reasoned arguments about Senate Bill 50. The bill does nothing
to actually legalize hemp, it only sets up a regulatory framework to license
and grow hemp once the federal government gets out of the way.
 |
| John Roulac, author and founder of Nutiva |
Batting cleanup for the pro-hemp, pro-jobs Senate Bill 50 was
John Roulac, CEO of Nutiva, a company which imports and sells hemp seeds and
oil for human consumption. His products are now sold in several major box
stores, as well as online, making it one of the fastest growing companies in
the United States. Nutiva actually broke $38 million in sales last year,
and expects to beat that by $15-20 million in 2013. Yet the number one
expense for him when importing these products from Canada are logistics and
transportation! Just imagine how much money he could save by getting his
hemp from American farmers! Money that could be spent on hiring new
employees, adding benefits to existing employees, or opening up facilities
right here in Kentucky! Armed with shelled hemp seed and hemp oil, John
Roulac made his case for the rapidly expanding markets for hemp. He is
now the second major industry CEO to fly all the way from California to show
support in Kentucky for a movement that would provide their company with organic,
high quality hemp seeds and oil. The first was Dr David Bronner, CEO of
Dr Bronner's Magic Soaps, who not only came to show support, but who also
donated $50,000 to jump start the hemp movement in Kentucky.
Throw Em A Fake And A Finagle
McKee finally pulled what seemed to be the final ace from his
sleeve, calling upon Representative Rita Smart from Madison County to ask
redundant questions and run out the clock. Rep Smart certainly did her
job well, although it was confusing to the members in the audience because
Madison County is highly rural. We all expected that Representatives from
rural counties would want to do what is best for the people of their district
rather than follow the political motives of a few high ranking politicians. Nevertheless,
Rep Smart succeeded in running out the clock....and as chairman McKee attempted
to end the meeting, Rep Jim DeCesare from Bowling Green swooped into action!
Rep DeCesare, whose expertise in parliamentary procedure has not
gone unnoticed among the grassroots, quickly made a motion to vote on Senate
Bill 50 as it was originally written. Numerous "seconds" to his
motion erupted from the legislative panel, and it seemed that the hemp bill was
going to come up for an honest vote! However, Chairman McKee tap danced
his way to the top, calling out Rep DeCesare for supposedly being out of order,
while in fact, McKee himself was out of order. Typically in parliamentary
procedure, if there is a motion and a second, the motion must get a vote.
But not in the political theater that is Frankfort, and certainly not on
McKee's watch! Chairman McKee insisted that he would not allow for a vote
on SB50, and although Reps Jim DeCesare and Steven Rudy tried valiantly to
overcome the "prerogative of the chair," they were unsuccessful.
When You're in Trouble, Go Into Your Dance
Much to the dismay of the crowd, Chairman McKee made his final
attempt to call the meeting to a close. When he tried to adjourn the
meeting, boos erupted from the audience, and McKee made a grand pirouette,
calling for a recess of the hearing, rather than adjourning without a vote.
He asked the rest of the legislators to come back at the end of the day
to continue the discussion, and to then vote on HIS committee substitute, although
it was clear that his sub would be voted down. Because nobody was
interested in his committee sub, several of the legislators tried to get a
straight answer from McKee. They asked him if they did return for a later
hearing, and the committee sub WAS voted down, would they then be
allowed to vote on Senate Bill 50 as it was originally written? McKee
stammered with a great "divertissement" and said that he simply did not
know. How could he? His handlers had not yet told him what to do,
so for the moment, the hemp bill was pushed off and the hearing was to be
reconvened at a later time that afternoon.
After the hearing, several lawmakers from the Agriculture
Committee, as well as James Comer, Senators Robin Webb and Paul Hornback, and
several members of the KY Industrial Hemp Commission descended on another room
to address the media and answer questions about the fiasco that had just
occurred. Many legislators felt that politics was clearly the issue at
hand, not so much the law enforcement concerns or lack of research or markets.
As it seemed to all in attendance, Chairman Tom McKee would be retiring
to his office to await further instructions on how to continue to hoodwink the
population.
CN2, the Courier
Journal, and the Herald Leader covered the hearing and press conference very
well, and links to there coverage can be found here, here, and here.
Show Em the First Rate Sorcerer You Are
After the hearing and press conference were over, many Hemp
Commission members as well as Agriculture Department staff and legislators all
waited patiently for 4:30 to come along. This was the time that Chairman
McKee had slated for the hearing to be continued. However, in an act of
complete defiance, Chairman McKee, adjourned the meeting on the floor of
the House of Representatives. This was a rude and inconsiderate way to
appease Greg Stumbo, and McKee's final attempt of the day to stall the hemp
movement. However, as Chairman McKee will soon learn, a tidal wave cannot
be stopped by a few well-placed sand bags. No matter how deeply rooted
those sand bags are, it will take a lot more than political song and dance to
stop this movement, which is fast approaching it's crescendo. At that
point, when the tide of grassroots supporters, political activists, and the
horde of good legislators have reached their full-blown proportions, Tom McKee,
Greg Stumbo, and Rodney Brewer will learn what can happen when a few tiny
dancers stand in the way of an avalanche.
Where do We go From Here?
The hearing and day's events of Wednesday, February 27th were
just one small battle in the war to save our family farms. However, even
that battle is not over yet. There is still a chance that we can get an
honest vote on Senate Bill 50, amid the dishonest games being played on the
backs of the people. Hemp activists and supporters should continue to
call the Legislative Hotline and continue to leave messages in support of
Senate Bill 50 as it was originally written. The number is 800-372-7181 and the
message should be "please support Senate Bill 50 in its original
form." If you are a farmer, tell them you want to grow hemp.
If you are a teacher, tell them you want to educate your children about
agriculture. If you are an entrepreneur, tell them you want to start a
hemp business. Whatever your angle, let Tom McKee and the Ag Committee know
that you are in favor of industrial hemp.
Sheriffs must continue to be educated by their constituents.
City councils and fiscal courts should continue to be asked to pass
resolutions in favor of industrial hemp. And as always, hemp enthusiasts
should continue the education process of speaking with farmers, friends, and
family and telling them the truth behind all the lies. The tide is most
definitely turning in our favor. It won't be long before those few
politicians will lose footing in the sandy quagmire on which they have built
their political careers. And I can assure you that the Kentucky Hemp
Commission will continue to move forward, bringing innovation, markets, and
education to the Bluegrass, so that we can once again be the leaders in a crop
which is our heritage and was once our lifeblood.
