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HB 947

Local Government - Charges for Paper Carryout Bags - Limitation

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Sandy Bartlett and 6 co-sponsors

HB 947 restricts local governments from charging fees on paper carryout bags, limiting municipal environmental policy-making authority in Maryland.

Hearing 3/05 at 1:00 p.m. (Environment and Transportation)
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Bill Summary · HB 947

Legislative bill overview

HB 947 would limit local governments' authority to charge fees on paper carryout bags. Currently, some Maryland municipalities have implemented or are considering bag fees as environmental measures, but this bill would restrict or prohibit such local charges, potentially centralizing this policy decision at the state level.

Why is this important

Bag fee policies directly affect consumer costs at checkout and influence waste reduction behavior. This bill represents a conflict between local environmental initiatives and state-level regulatory authority—determining whether municipalities can independently implement sustainability measures or whether statewide uniformity should take precedence.

Potential points of contention

  • Local autonomy vs. state preemption: Whether individual communities should set their own environmental policies or if uniform state rules are preferable for consistency and business operations
  • Environmental effectiveness: Disagreement over whether bag fees actually reduce plastic waste and pollution, or if they merely shift costs to consumers without meaningful behavioral change
  • Business compliance burden: Uncertainty about whether uniform rules across jurisdictions would reduce compliance costs for retailers, or whether state restrictions would benefit certain business interests over local environmental goals

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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