MJBizMag October 2020 - 8

FromtheEditor | Kate Lavin
Hold Lawmakers Accountable
J
ohn Nance Garner, who served as vice president under
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, said " no good
legislation ever comes out of Washington after June. "
With this in mind, the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970
gave our elected officials a monthlong break between August
and September.
When lawmakers released the 2020 congressional
calendar, they were unaware of a developing virus that
would cripple international trade, put millions of Americans
out of work and take the lives of more than 200,000
people in this country.
At that time, it made sense for legislators to head back to
their home districts for several weeks starting in August to
meet with constituents.
The Bar Is Low
We don't ask much of our elected officials.
Senators are each allotted nearly $950,000 to hire staff
and up to $553,875 for office expenses and mail, and they
can claim up to $3,000 per year for travel between their
homes and lodging in Washington DC.
Most U.S. senators, representatives and delegates earn
a flat salary of $174,000 per year-and chamber leaders
earn even more. The average U.S. household, meanwhile,
had a median income of $65,721 in 2019.
So this summer, when Americans desperately needed the
services that lawmakers are handsomely paid to negotiate
on our behalf-small-business loans, payroll-protection
incentives and emergency advances for companies
experiencing " economic injury disaster " caused by a global
pandemic, for example-it seemed like an unwise time for
our elected officials to take a vacation.
And yet, the sitting members of Congress did exactly that.
When we needed them most, lawmakers walked off the job,
even though our tax dollars pay their salaries.
Get to Work
In addition to the business-relief measures lawmakers
left to collect dust when they tabled a second stimulus
package in August, Congress' inaction caused enhanced
unemployment benefits to expire. Given that 13.6 million
Americans are currently unemployed, a drop in consumer
spending will inevitably follow, plunging the nation even
deeper into recession.
The federal government collects millions of dollars in
income taxes from cannabis workers each year. And the
industry pays more than its fair share to the Internal Revenue
Service, thanks to Section 280E of the U.S. tax code.
Kate Lavin
Marijuana Business
Magazine Editor
What are we getting in return?
In recent years, important marijuana legislation has
been stalled in committee before making it to the Senate
floor for a vote. And just last month, House Democrats
opted to delay a vote for the Marijuana Opportunity
Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act until after
the general election in November.
A Look Ahead
Starting on page 40, we look at how the coming election
could affect the marijuana industry, specifically:
* References to marijuana in the Republican and
Democratic platforms.
* Senate races that could help or hinder banking
prospects, interstate commerce and decriminalization.
* States that have legalization initiatives on the ballot-and
how New Jersey could set off a domino effect.
Empowered with this information, we should hold our
elected officials accountable at the box office. Let's agree to
vote like our livelihoods depend on it-they just might.
Sincerely,
8 Marijuana Business Magazine | October 2020
MJBizMag October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MJBizMag October 2020
