S. 3686 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jan 15, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryDelays new hemp product regulations by two years
In November 2025, Congress passed new rules that would change how the federal government controls certain hemp products, tightening what counts as legal hemp based on THC content and excluding some hemp-derived products. This bill pushes back when those new rules take effect from November 2026 to November 2028, giving more time before the stricter regulations kick in.
How it affects you
If you grow hemp or sell hemp-derived products, this gives your industry two extra years before having to adjust to the new federal definition of legal hemp. Consumers may see certain hemp products remain available during this extended period that would otherwise be restricted under the new rules.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jan 15, 2026)
Hemp Planting Predictability Act
This bill extends by two years the implementation of changes to the regulation of hemp products, which reimpose certain federal controls over some hemp products.
Specifically, Congress enacted the FY2026 agriculture appropriations act (P.L. 119-37) on November 12, 2025. Effective November 12, 2026, the act modifies the statutory definition of hemp products that are considered to be lawful. This bill extends the effective date to November 12, 2028.
As background, the 2018 farm bill excluded hemp from the Controlled Substances Act definition of marijuana and defined hemp . As a result, hemp and hemp-derived products at or below the 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana) concentration threshold were no longer regulated as Schedule I controlled substances and registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration was no longer required to cultivate or handle hemp and hemp-derived products. However, hemp remained subject to Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration regulation.
The 2025 changes to the definition of hemp, include
• changing the limit to a total THC concentration of not more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis rather than only delta-9 THC,
• explicitly including industrial hemp,
• excluding seeds from a cannabis plant that exceed a certain THC concentration, and
• excluding various types of hemp-derived cannabinoid products.
Cannabinoids refer to unique chemical compounds that are found in hemp and marijuana (e.g., THC) and are known to exhibit a range of psychological and physiological effects.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionS. 3686
A BILL
Hemp Planting Predictability Act
Sponsor: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) · Introduced Jan 15, 2026 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jan 15, 2026: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”