Overview
- The Licenses and Inspections Committee advanced a bill requiring retailers to charge 10 cents per nonreusable paper bag, building on the city’s 2021 plastic bag ban.
- The proposal exempts paper bags for prepared-food takeout, drive-through orders, and deliveries, and clarifies that the plastic bag ban applies regardless of bag thickness.
- The measure is cosponsored by a majority of Council members, positioning it for a likely floor vote in the coming weeks.
- Parker administration official Carlton Williams testified against the fee, citing potential burdens on low-income shoppers and small retailers and the risk of shoppers leaving the city to avoid charges.
- If passed, the mayor could sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without her signature, with a veto override requiring 12 votes; a similar measure passed in 2023 but died via pocket veto by then-Mayor Jim Kenney.