The House Ag committee is passing the long awaited industrial hemp bill.
The debate could now come down to dollars. Governor Kristi Noem anticipates the program will cost $2 million to prop up, and then almost $1.6 million every year after.
“One of the things I think we need to be clear about is that for our hemp program to be approved by the federal government, they need us to show that we will financially support the program too. It’s not just that I’m requiring us to pay for it and do this in a responsible manner, we will have to prove to the federal government that we are funding this program as well.”
House lawmakers insist the state need to get infrastructure in place regardless of the bill passing—to handle interstate commerce and tribal approval to grow hemp.
The majority leader in the house says he doesn’t see funding the program being an issue.