The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will vote on a bill Wednesday that would block prior marijuana use from becoming grounds for failing to hire someone into the Federal government.
The Cannabis Users Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act was introduced earlier this summer by Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and aims to prevent marijuana use from being the main attribute to deny qualified candidates from working in the Federal government.
“Every year, qualified and dedicated individuals seeking to serve our country are unable to secure Federal jobs and security clearances because the Federal government has not caught up with the widely established legal use of medical and recreational cannabis,” Rep. Raskin said when he introduced the bill on July 27.
“I am proud to partner with my friend Representative Mace to introduce the bipartisan CURE Act that will eliminate the draconian, failed, and obsolete marijuana policies that prevent talented individuals from becoming honorable public servants in their own government,” he added.
The legislation would cover individuals who are currently using marijuana, or have in the past, and would establish a review process for all people denied employment with the Federal government due to marijuana use dating back to 2008.
The bill comes as a multitude of over 38 states, territories, and localities allow medical marijuana use, while 23 states allow for the recreational use of marijuana.
House Panel Slated to Vote on TMF, Procurement Bills
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee is also slated to take its first step to update key technology modernization legislation this week. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is expected to introduce her update to the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act today, with a markup of the bill set for Wednesday.
According to the markup announcement, the MGT Reform Act would reauthorize and restore the original purpose of the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) to ensure that the TMF can be a sustainable, revolving fund dedicated to addressing Federal legacy IT.
The panel will also vote on the Safe and Smart Federal Purchasing Act, which would require the Office of Management and Budget director to evaluate Federal procurement law to determine whether the current process creates a national security risk.
