A U.S. Senate committee has approved a bill to limit the ability of federal agencies to use past marijuana use as a factor in making employment and security clearance decisions. The legislation is titled the Dismantling Outdated Obstacles and Barriers to Individual Employment, or DOOBIE, Act.
The measure cleared the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is chaired by the bill sponsor, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), in a 9-5 vote on Wednesday. This represents the latest legislative attempt to ensure that a person’s eligibility for the federal workforce is not negatively impacted just because they’re previously consumed cannabis.
The DOOBIE Act, a play on a term used to refer to a marijuana joint, was initially set to receive a markup in the Senate panel in July, but that hearing was later cancelled and rescheduled last week.
The bill states that covered agencies “may not base a suitability determination with respect to an individual solely on the past use of marijuana by the individual.” The White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM) would also need to adopt that policy.
The bill further says that “the head of a Federal agency may not base a determination that a covered person is
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