Committee advances sweeping hemp and vape bill after amendments on taxes and distribution

The House Finance, Ways and Means Committee on April 1 advanced House Bill 13‑76, a broad measure to regulate hemp‑derived products and impose wholesale taxes, after adopting several amendments. The committee voted to send the bill to the calendar and rules committee by a recorded tally of 27 ayes, 0 nos.

The bill, sponsored by Leader Peter Lambert in committee, was amended several times to combine provisions from judiciary and commerce, add product‑level tax structure and redirect how tax revenues are distributed. Proponents said the changes move tax collection from retail to wholesale and create enforcement funding for the Department of Revenue and the Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC).

Leader Peter Lambert told the committee the bill’s tax changes ‘‘bring in a larger fiscal note’’ and that ‘‘the long term plan was always on these particular products to collect the tax at the wholesale level.’’ Chairman Jim Williams, sponsor of key amendments, described numeric limits…