[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 29, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S6206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                  HEMP

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on one final matter, when I joined 
President Trump last year as he signed the farm bill, we marked a new 
chapter for an historic American crop. In a victory for growers, 
processors, and manufacturers across the country, especially in my home 
State of Kentucky, my initiative for full hemp legalization became law.
  This morning, the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to take the 
important next step. Secretary Perdue will release a new USDA 
regulation to implement my initiative and move hemp closer to being 
treated just like every other commodity. This new policy will help 
farmers around the country continue pioneering this crop into the 21st 
century.
  I am proud to say that Kentucky is prepared to take the lead. For 
generations, our growers and producers have made the Bluegrass State an 
agricultural powerhouse, well-positioned at the forefront of hemp's 
resurgence. Following the downturn in tobacco, it was my tobacco buyout 
legislation that helped farmers transition toward new opportunities, 
and a growing number are looking to this past crop--one grown by 
Washington, Jefferson, and Henry Clay--as they plan for the future.
  As the buyout payments came to an end, I secured the creation of hemp 
pilot programs in the 2014 farm bill, empowering farmers and 
researchers to begin a multiyear experiment with hemp's capabilities.
  Thanks to leaders like Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles and his 
predecessor, now-Congressman   James Comer, Kentucky was leading the 
charge. The results were clear. The pilot program was working. So we 
knew the 2018 farm bill had to take the next step.
  I am grateful to Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, who 
included my hemp initiative in the bill that is now law. I would also 
like to thank the many Members on both sides of the aisle, including 
Senator Ron Wyden, who have helped in this effort as well.
  My hemp provisions in the farm bill directed USDA to craft a new 
regulatory framework so hemp could be cultivated nationwide, with each 
State given the opportunity to develop its own plan for hemp oversight.
  I am grateful that Secretary Perdue accepted my invitation for a 
Kentucky hemp tour so he could see our progress up close and learn from 
Kentucky hemp farmers and regulators as USDA developed its policies.
  This year alone, hemp is growing on more than 26,000 acres in 
Kentucky, across 101 of our 120 counties. It supports hundreds of jobs 
and tens of millions in sales.
  I impressed upon USDA the need to finalize this new framework before 
the 2020 growing season. I would like to thank Secretary Perdue and the 
USDA for fulfilling this commitment with the announcement we are 
expecting later this morning. I look forward to reviewing USDA's 
guidelines and hearing from hemp stakeholders around Kentucky.
  Our work to support the future of hemp is hardly over. There are 
ongoing conversations with the FDA on CBD products and ongoing work to 
help growers and retailers to access credit and financial products. 
There will inevitably be ups and downs as this new industry develops, 
but today's announcement is another crucial step. It is a privilege for 
me to stand with Kentucky farmers every step of the way. Together, we 
will continue charting hemp's course well into the future.

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