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Delegate Jones advances plastic-bag ban substitute, bill laid on table 8-1
Summary
Delegate Jones presented HB 1662 to ban single-use plastic carryout bags by 2027; a substituted version adding a delayed effective date was accepted and the committee voted 8–1 to lay the bill on the table as substituted.
Delegate Jermaine Jones introduced House Bill 1662 on behalf of 4th- and 5th-grade students from Almadina School and urged the subcommittee to ban single-use plastic grocery and carryout bags statewide by 2027.
The bill’s sponsor, Delegate Jermaine Jones, said the proposal aims to promote reusable bags and fund litter control across the commonwealth after localities have the option to tax bags under existing law. Counsel reported that the Department of Taxation recommended a delayed effective date; the substitute language sets the bill’s enactment to January 1, 2027.
Supporters in the room included Ellie Wilson of Environment Virginia, Jay Ford of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Steve Carter Lovejoy of the Virginia Sierra Club. They told the subcommittee plastic bags damage wildlife, clog recycling equipment and stormwater systems and impose cleanup costs on municipalities.
Opponents included Travis Smiley of the Virginia Food Industry Association, Mike Carlin of Access Point Public Affairs speaking for the Coalition For Consumer Choices, and Kate Baker of the Virginia Retail Federation. They argued the earlier compromise allowing localities to tax bags has reduced use and that recycling and retailer-run collection programs remain preferable.
Brandon Bull of the Department of Environmental Quality said the administration opposed the bill and raised pragmatic enforcement concerns.
After debate and a voice vote to move the substitute, Delegate Willett moved to lay HB 1662 on the table as substituted. The committee recorded a vote of 8 in favor and 1 opposed, laying the substituted bill on the table.
The substituted bill includes a delayed effective date (January 1, 2027) per counsel’s report and retains the sponsor’s objective to phase out single-use plastic carryout bags and encourage reusable alternatives.
Votes at a glance: The substitute was accepted and then the motion to lay HB 1662 on the table as substituted passed 8–1.
The bill will remain on the subcommittee’s docket unless the sponsor or another member moves to recall it from the table.
