by Madeline Grant, NCIA Government Relations Manager

With all the action in the 116th Congress so far, NCIA strives to support as many cannabis champions on Capitol Hill as possible. It is key to keep Members of Congress that support cannabis reform in the halls of Congress, as they will continue to push the momentum forward through legislation, committee activity, and education. Our NCIA-PAC Leadership Circle members make this support possible, as their contributions go straight towards Members of Congress. Below are a few events and fundraisers where we utilized PAC funds to support our issues and Members on the Hill.

NCIA staff attended Congressman Ed Perlmutter’s fundraiser in celebration of the passage of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act on the House side. Rep. Perlmutter is the lead sponsor of the SAFE Banking Act and because of his leadership and hard work over the years, we are seeing more success this congress than ever before!

As we are approaching the Holiday season, Members of Congress are getting festive. NCIA hosted Congressman McNerny’s Holiday Party. Our D.C. staff is making use of our new office, as we’ve hosted a handful of holiday parties this year full of conversations, hot chocolate, and cookies for all. 

Another festive holiday party hosted at our D.C. office with Congressman Earl Blumenauer. The Congressman gave everyone a mini fruit cake, a famous annual tradition in the Blumenauer office. With all the momentum this congress, Congressman Blumenauer has been one of our biggest champions in cannabis reform. 

Mike and I attended Rep. Porter’s lunch fundraiser this year. It is always a pleasure discussing policy issues with the congresswoman. As a freshman Member of Congress, Rep. Porter has been fighting for the cannabis industry since day 1. We had the pleasure of meeting the Congresswoman when she entered into California’s 45th district race and continue to support her with NCIA’s PAC funds. 

Our Director of Government Relations, Michael Correia, attended Rep. Lee’s birthday this past July. He was able to spend some time with Speaker Pelosi and Rep. Lee while discussing cannabis reform. As you know, the momentum in the 116th congress has been momentous so it’s important to thank the Members of Congress that helped make it happen.

How do we support our champions?

NCIA’s Political Action Committee (PAC) supports our champions on Capitol Hill. With NCIA-PAC funds we are able to contribute PAC dollars to the Members of Congress above and many more. These funds go to their campaigns to help them get reelected and stay to fight for us on Capitol Hill. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved with the NCIA-PAC, please send an email to Madeline@TheCannabisIndustry.org. Thank you to our PAC Leadership Circle members that help support cannabis reform on Capitol Hill- without you, we would not be able to support our champions.