Sen. Kim: marijuana SAFER Banking Act "particularly affects a lot of the small businesses" in NJ

Who?Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) — one of 11 new senators elected to the 119th CongressLISTEN: Laslo & KimAsk a Pol asks:How much are you hearing about the SAFER Banking Act from your constituents across New Jersey?Key Kim:“It particularly affects a lot of the small businesses because they're not the ones that can like, you know, handle high-price attorneys and others too,” Sen. Andy Kim exclusively told Ask a Pol. “So between that and, like, homegrown, those are like the two issues that I keep hearing about in New Jersey.” Ask a Pol’s FREE! Sign up for our latest. ICYMI — All 100 US senators on cannabis policyCaught our ear:“I’ve supported SAFE Banking,” Kim told us.Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), slightly edited for clarity.TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Andy KimSCENE: During orientation for new senators, now-Sen. Andy Kim was still Rep. Kim who had to vote in the US House. Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo runs into Kim on his way to vote on the House floor. Matt Laslo: “Getting this thing on.”Laslo’s fidgetting wiqht his mic. ML: “Where are you on SAFER Banking?”Andy Kim: “Uh...”ML: “That's the cannabis one.”AK: “I supported — yeah, I’ve supported SAFE Banking.”ML: “Yeah?“AK: “The bill. Yeah.”ML: “How important — like, how much are you hearing about that from the Jersey industry or Jersey banks? Is it...”FREE VIP subscriptions available! *Student? Lost your gig? Hard times? Been there. Got you. No questions asked. Just ping us.AK: “Yeah, because, you know, they have — I mean, it particularly affects a lot of the small businesses because they're not the ones that can like, you know, handle high-price attorneys and others too. ML: “Interesting. Cause it's been totally stalled in the Senate. Like, hasn't even...”AK: “Oh is that...”ML: “...come up for a vote in years.”AK: “Yeah? Is that where it's been at?”ML: “Yeah.”AK: “Is that where it's stuck? Yeah.”Woman: “Hi, Sen. Kim.”AK: “Hey, how are you?”Woman: “Good.”ML: “We'll see. I mean, kinda the same story as the House now [with Republican majority].”Consider supporting our independent journalism. Venmo, PayPal, Cash App — or just buy us a beer!AK: “Yeah. It's true.”ML: “Right?”AK: “Yeah. Well, I'll keep you posted as that kinda moves forward.”ML: “Yes, sir. Preciate ya.”Andrey Beregovskiy contributed to this report. Content posted at AskaPolDrugs.com is copyrighted. Use our original content to move the story forward. And, please, link to us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoldrugs.com/subscribe