Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a bill to legalize hemp as an agriculture product last week. Instead of entering the committee process, the hemp legislation bill is benefitting from Rule 14 which allows it to skip over this time-consuming step.

The move doesn’t guarantee the bill will get a vote, but rather the rule allows the bill to be brought up on the Senate floor faster by avoiding being heard by committees.

This is incredible news for hemp supporters, like McConnell, who are ready to see hemp restored as the great agricultural commodity it once was in the United States, particularly in McConnell’s home state of Kentucky.

The bill, also known as the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, would legalize hemp and remove it from the federal list of controlled substances. This would allow hemp to be sold as an agricultural commodity.

“By legalizing hemp and empowering states to conduct their own oversight plans, we can give the hemp industry the tools necessary to create jobs and new opportunities for farmers and manufacturers around the county,” McConnell said in a statement last week introducing the bill, which is also being supported by Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

The bill would allow states to regulate hemp how they see fit, let researchers apply for grants from the Agricultural Department and open up eligibility for hemp farmers to qualify for crop insurance.