A newly re-filed bill by more than forty congressional Democrats would protect people working in the climate industry from being fired if they test positive for marijuana.
The Climate Resilience Workforce Act is the name of the legislation led by Rep. Pramila Jajapal (D, WA). The bill covers a lot of ground in terms of climate policy. It proposes to fund existing workforce programs, provide grants for climate resilience jobs and create the White House Office of Climate Resilience.
One section, however, would provide cannabis-focused protections for employees. It stipulates that workers in states that have legalized marijuana cannot be denied the job training opportunities that are available under the bill, or work in climate resilience, “on the basis that a Federally mandated drug test is more rigorous than any drug tests that are in place in localities or States, or that the union of the employee uses.”
It seems that if a state or a locality permits testing of THC metabolites, despite legalization in place, those workers or applications for job training could still be subjected to more stringent federal guidelines.
The bill specifically mentions states and localities in which the “recreational” use of marijuana “is legal.” This could inadvertently prevent patients from receiving protections when marijuana is only allowed for medical purposes.
Yesterday I reintroduced the Climate Resilience Workforce Act.
We need to prepare our communities for climate disasters that are becoming more destructive. Let’s create union jobs that pay well. pic.twitter.com/IPXDLF8i4w
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) September 28, 2023
In a late-month press release, Jayapal stated that “as we witness increasingly destructive wildfires and droughts and storms the need for a trained workforce to prepare and respond to climate destruction could not be clearer.” My Climate Resilience Workforce Act is the response to this crisis on the scale required. This legislation will help us address climate change and invest in millions of union jobs with good pay that are centered around the communities most affected.
was reintroduced with approximately 10 more cosponsors than the last session . These include Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Jamaal BOWMAN (D-NY), Cori bush (D-MO), Barbara Lee, Jerrold NADLER (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton, Ayanna pressley and Rashida TLAIB (D-MI).
The prospects for the GOP-controlled House are less certain. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-CA, was removed from his position and the House is still without a speaker.
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The House Rules Committee repeatedly blocked efforts by lawmakers to stop the practice of testing federal job candidates for marijuana in large-scale spending measures this session.
In the Senate however, in July, senators passed defense legislation that includes provisions prohibiting intelligence agencies such as the CIA or NSA from denying applicants security clearances solely because of their past marijuana usage.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee passed a bipartisan bill last month which would prohibit the denial or refusal of federal employment and security clearances because of a candidate’s past marijuana usage.
A New Report Suggests That Human Use of Cannabis For Food, Fiber, And Psychoactive Effects, Stretches Back Millennia
Martin Alonso is the photographer of this photo.
The post Workers in the Climate Sector Couldn’t be Fired for Marijuana Use In Legal States, Under a Newly Filed Congressional Bill first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
