The letter below is from Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID 2nd District) to a Vote Hemp supporter in reply to a letter asking him to become a sponsor for the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009.

Rep. Mike Simpson
(R-ID 2nd District)

If you receive a reply from one of your elected representatives please email a copy of it to us at hempinfo@votehemp.com. It will help with our lobbying efforts to know the contents of these letters. We will not publish your name or address and hold them in confidence.

October 19, 2009

Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 1866, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009. I appreciate hearing from you and having the opportunity to respond.

As you may know, Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced H.R. 1866 on April 2, 2009. This legislation would amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana. Currently H.R. 1866 is under consideration by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

While I do not sit on the committee with jurisdiction over this piece of legislation, I will continue to monitor its progress as it makes its way through the committee process. You can be confident that I will keep your thoughts in mind should it come before me on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact me about this issue. As your representative in Congress, it is important to me to know your thoughts and opinions about issues affecting our nation today. I also encourage you to visit my website, www.simpson.house.gov, to sign up for my e-newsletter and to read more about my views on a variety of issues.

Sincerely,

Mike Simpson
Member of Congress