Ohio House Passes Bill Forbidding Municipalities From Banning Plastic Bags

Municipalities in Ohio would be prohibited from banning plastic bags under a proposed law the Ohio House of Representatives passed yesterday.

Supporters of the legislation — mostly Republican lawmakers and business groups like the Ohio Chamber of Commerce — say it will keep business owners from having to navigate a "patchwork" of regulations and fees around bags and other so-called "auxiliary containers" like disposable cups and straws.

Opponents, including a number of House Democrats, say the bill would violate home rule provisions in Ohio law that allow municipalities to set their own regulations. Some Democrats also pointed out that disposable bags, cups and containers contribute to the millions of pounds of trash that pollute the Great Lakes and fill local l)andfills.

Back in May, West Chester State Rep. George Lang, the bill's co-sponsor, told the Statehouse News Bureau that the proposed law was about "just stopping the ability to tax" establishments that don't observe plastic bag bans. Lang claimed that blocking the bans would keep residents from moving out of Ohio.

Read more: https://www.citybeat.com/news/blog/21105999/ohio-house-passes-bill-forbidding-municipalities-from-banning-plastic-bags
(Cincinnati Citybeat)