In Appropriations Committee markups, Representative Mike Garcia (CA-25) proposed an amendment to support law enforcement and their fight against illegal marijuana grows taking place in the Antelope Valley. The amendment, which addresses law enforcement overtime caps, was greeted with bipartisan support and passed easily through the committee, marking a victory for law enforcement’s fight against illegal grows.

As it presently stands, law enforcement officials working to combat these grows are capped from earning more than $19,000 in overtime annually. Fighting illegal marijuana grows is a tall task, and many of our law enforcement spend hours past their shifts fighting against these grows. The amendment proposed by Garcia that passed through the committee markup would end the $19,000 overtime cap for fiscal year 2023.

Congressman Garcia made the following statement regarding the matter:

“This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue, this is a public safety issue. This amendment is a massive bipartisan win in the fight against illegal grows,” said Garcia. “I have witnessed these illegal grows firsthand and I’ve had some of the toughest sheriffs in the department begging us to tap into the necessary federal funds on this issue. Some of these deputies have in the past taken necessary action without compensation because they don’t want to lose the ground they’ve gained against illegal grows, so removing this artificial and capricious cap is a big relief for law enforcement and their efforts to eradicate this black market altogether.”

Mike Garcia and his office have been working on this issue since last year with the Department of Justice and the local Sheriff’s office, which has been crippled in their ability to apply the proper manpower to fight illegal grows on a continual basis due to this cap.

Click here to watch the full consideration of the amendment.

Mike Garcia also penned an op-ed last summer in Fox News on the matter. Click here to read the op-ed.