MANHATTAN — A public hearing will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Dec. 7, 2020, to consider the adoption of proposed regulations to govern commercial industrial hemp production in Kansas. Due to public health concerns posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the hearing proceedings will be held via a video conferencing system to provide the opportunity for virtual participation online. Although in-person participation is also an option, attendance will be limited to allow for social distancing and to comply with local health requirements.&nbsp;Due to the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which removed hemp from the federal Controlled Substances Act, and the Commercial Industrial Hemp Act passed in Kansas in 2019, the Kansas Department of Agriculture is proposing rules and regulations K.A.R. 4-34-22 through 4-34-30.A copy of the proposed new regulations, as well as an expanded notice of public hearing, may be accessed on the KDA website at&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.agriculture.ks.gov%2FPublicComment&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7Ccaa9b94ad3064b6d703a08d88c0a1fab%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637413322869329381%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=gr1%2FmFdEfedQBADRZedl3g2fVU3jvSRvHYcPLlV1ZAw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">agriculture.ks.gov/PublicComment</a>. Anyone desiring to participate via video conference or in person must pre-register and be provided with a video link or instructions for in-person attendance. Written comments can be submitted on the public comment web page prior to the hearing or sent to the Kansas Department of Agriculture, 1320 Research Park Drive, Manhattan, KS, 66502.Any individual with a disability may request accommodation in order to participate in the public hearing and may request a copy of the regulations in an accessible format. Persons who require special accommodations must make their needs known at least five working days prior to the hearing. For more information, including special accommodations or a copy of the regulations, please contact Ronda Hutton at 785-564-6715 or&nbsp;<a href="mailto:Ronda.Hutton@ks.gov" target="_blank">Ronda.Hutton@ks.gov</a>.

Hearing set for proposed adoption of commercial industrial hemp regs