HR 6500 Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 — Sec. 2019 Hemp Delay
House passed H.R. 6500 on a 370–48 vote on Sept 1, 2026 (under suspension of the rules), after the Senate passed it 90–6 on Aug 8. Now presented to / awaiting President Trump's signature; the White House endorsed the measure in an Aug 3 Statement of Administration Policy. On signature, Section 2019 pushes the Section 781 cliff — the 0.4mg total-THC-per-container cap and narrowed hemp definition — from Nov 12 to Dec 11, 2026 for naturally-derived cannabinoids. Carve-out: synthetic cannabinoids 'not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant' are still recriminalized on Nov 12 even under the delay. The reprieve is tied to the CR's funding window (Dec 11), so the same fight recurs then. Until the President signs, Nov 12 remains the operative federal deadline.
Primary sponsor: Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) R
Cosponsors: 1 1 R
Became Public Law No: 119-103.
Continuing resolution (H.R. 6500), the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, passed by the U.S. Senate 90–6 in the early hours of August 8, 2026. It funds the federal government through December 11, 2026.
Section 2019 of the bill’s extensions division delays the two central Section 781 provisions — the 0.4mg total-THC-per-container cap and the narrowed statutory definition of hemp — from November 12 to December 11, 2026, cross-referencing the Section 781 clauses rather than restating them. A carve-out preserves the November 12 recriminalization of synthetic cannabinoids not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant.
The hemp language was secured by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) with Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN); Sen. Klobuchar led the 61–32 motion to table Sen. Ted Budd’s amendment (#6747) to strip it out. Passage is not assured: the House-passed version of the CR did not include the delay, a coalition of 35 state attorneys general is urging Congress to reject it, and the House does not return from recess until August 31. Until the House also passes the CR and the President signs it, November 12, 2026 remains the operative federal deadline.
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