Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate committee hears bill to raise litter penalties, delay thicker plastic bag requirement
Summary
A public hearing on House Bill 1293 considered raising the civil infraction for littering from class 3 to class 2 and delaying an increase in the minimum thickness for reusable plastic bags; supporters emphasized deterrence, opponents and industry groups urged caution about the bag change.
Vice Chair Slatter convened a public hearing on House Bill 1293 on litter enforcement and plastic bag rules, with staff and the bill’s prime sponsor briefing the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee.
Alicia Kinney Claussen, staff to the committee, summarized the engrossed substitute: “This bill raises the penalty for littering and delays the increase in the minimum allowable thickness of plastic bags.” She described current law classifying small litter (one cubic foot or less) as a class 3 civil infraction and noted separate traffic infractions for throwing material onto state highways. Kinney Claussen also summarized that retailers currently collect an 8¢ pass-through charge per reusable…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
