Bag police coming for retailers near you

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Dennis Linthicum - Oregon Senator.jpg
 

Press release provided from the offices of Oregon Senators Dennis Linthicum & Kim Thatcher.

Salem, Ore.—Democrats are attempting to pass cap and trade—a crony scam that robs Oregon’s smallest businesses and consumers to give out subsidies to politically-well connected entities—but their attempts are starting to get turbulent, per the Salem Reporter.

In an attempt to appease their enviro-activist base, Democrats Tuesday passed House Bill 2509 to ban plastic bags. But HB 2509 was so poorly written, that only plastic bags that are given after shopping are illegal, bags given before you start shopping are not.

The bill did not acknowledge the ability of the free-market to address the issue of recycling and use of these bags, whether that be through technology or business practices. There is also a bag ban enforcement under the bill, essentially creating “bag police.” The bill also charges consumers for paper bags and if the store fails to charge the minimum fee for bags then they will be fined $250 per violation. Retailers would even be barred from giving away alternative bags, except during a selected twelve days of the year. HB 2509 also forces retailers to report to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on their consumers’ behavior.

The bill provides a great look at how the supermajority legislates. Senate Republican Whip Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls, and state Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, took to the Senate Floor speeches that tackled the bill’s flaws and released the following joint statement:

“Instead of banning the bag, we should have bagged the ban. The bill was so poorly written. They call these reusable bags ‘single-use’ but they are not. Simply, the bill is not rooted in reality, it is not going to help the environment and it doesn’t even achieve the so-called ‘intention’ of the bill. The supermajority’s legislation this session is proving to be nothing more than a litany of campaign bills and flawed policy. Oregonians deserve better.”