Latest news with #Bill551
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New bill to help curb predatory booting just passed the state Senate, heads to House for vote
A bill to regulate booters that patrol Georgia parking lots overwhelmingly passed the state Senate. The bill does not ban booting, but it would place major new restrictions on how booters operate. 'Right now, booting companies can just run wild. Nobody has to call them. They patrol on their own and they make their own judge, jury, executioner decisions,' the bill's author state Sen. Josh McLaurin said. The bill would outlaw the practice of booters monitoring or patrolling lots. Landlords would have to call a booter like with a tow truck. It would also ban kickback payments from booters to landlords. Both of those are restrictions that already apply to tow companies. The booting measure was added as an amendment to the unrelated House Bill 551 on the Senate floor and passed by a vote of 48-3. 'Right now, booting companies are paying up to half their boot, half their fee to property owners as kickbacks. And that has caused a lot of predatory activity,' McLaurin said. RELATED NEWS: Bill to reduce booting cars passes key Senate Committee vote Legislation addresses boots on cars, plans to ban it statewide Viral TikTokers 'The Boot Girls' fighting back against 'predatory' practice of booting cars Over the past 2 years, he has introduced legislation to rein in booting. In 2023, McLaurin filed a bill that would ban booting entirely. In 2024, he introduced a bill similar to this amendment. In a 2024 Senate hearing, landlords and booting operators warned that those booters patrolling lots are the only reasonable way to protect against illegal parkers. 'If we have to go down the other path, we are just going to tow, and that's going to be a lot worse to the consumer than a boot,' said Jack Hanning from InterPark in 2024. McLaurin said the proposed law would stop the worst abuses of booters. 'All the horror stories you hear about, you walk into the store for four minutes, and there's a boot on your car that will come to an end,' he said. Since this was added as an amendment to a bill that already passed the House, it will not need to go through the committee process and only needs a motion to agree by the House sponsor and a vote on the House floor.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon Senate votes in favor of more restrictions on plastic: What to know
New restrictions on single-use plastic could be coming to retail stores, restaurants and hotels after the Oregon Senate voted Tuesday in favor of Senate Bill 551, sending the legislation to the House for consideration. If signed into law, restaurants could provide plastic utensils and condiments in plastic packaging only on request. The same would apply to single-use shampoos and other personal products at hotels. Legislators banned single-use plastic bags at stores and restaurants in 2019 but allowed for thicker plastic bags. SB551 would ban those, too. Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, and Rep. Tom Andersen, D-Salem, are chief sponsors of the bill. "Freeing Oregon from those thick plastic bags is a win for the environment and for business," Sollman said. Sollman said the bill would save businesses money on bags and products, such as plastic utensils, which may be given out but not used by the customer. Only about 9% of plastic nationally is recycled, Celeste Meiffren-Swango, director for Environment Oregon, told the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment in January. Sollman is the committee's chair. "We have serious problems with plastics that run onto our beaches," said vice-chair of the committee, Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford. He and Sen. Todd Nash, R-Enterprise, said the bill would help the timber industry by increasing demand for paper bags. Sen. Noah Robinson, R-Cave Junction, spoke against the bill, saying, "I love plastic." He said the ban is a "freedom issue" and would inconvenience consumers. Robinson was one of eight no votes on the bill, all Republican. Single-use condiments and cutlery would be available only upon request beginning July 1, 2026. Thicker plastic bags would be banned at stores and restaurants as of Jan. 1, 2027. The ban's start date was pushed back after grocers expressed concerns about impacts on paper bag supply due to a similar bill set to go into effect in California in 2026. Hotels with 50 or more rooms could provide single-use toiletries only on request after Jan. 1, 2027. The requirement would apply to lodging with one or more rooms beginning Jan. 1, 2028. Anastasia Mason covers state government for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at acmason@ or 971-208-5615. This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Plastic bag ban moves to Oregon House of Representatives
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon lawmakers target plastic utensils, condiments, hotel toiletries with updated bag ban
The Oregon Senate passed a bill that would stop hotels from providing plastic-wrapped soap and shampoo. (Photo by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Since the Oregon Legislature voted to ban single-use plastic grocery bags and limit plastic straws in 2019, most Oregonians have grown used to bringing their own bags to the store and asking for straws. Now, lawmakers looking to stop plastic from piling up on the state's beaches are turning their attention to other plastic utensils, condiment packaging and hotel-issued toiletries. The Oregon Senate voted 22-8 on Tuesday to pass Senate Bill 551, which would expand the state's plastic bag ban to cover takeout bags provided by restaurants and the thicker plastic bags some stores have offered since the original ban took effect in 2020. The bill would also require customers to explicitly ask for plastic utensils, single-serving plastic packaging for condiments like ketchup, coffee creamer, jelly and soy sauce and plastic-packaged hospitality size shampoos, soaps and lotions, like they already must ask for straws. Sen. Janeen Sollman, the Hillsboro Democrat behind the bill, said it will be good for the environment and for businesses that will save money by buying fewer plastic goods. 'I want to be clear, this is not a ban on all plastic, but a mere drop in the plastic deluge of products we encounter every day,' Sollman said. 'If we can do a bill that saves business dollars along the way, that is a win.' The proposal won support from all Democrats and four Republicans. Three of those Republicans — Sens. David Brock Smith of Port Orford, Dick Anderson of Lincoln City and Suzanne Weber of Tillamook — represent coastal districts, and Brock Smith said his experience on Oregon's beaches contributed to his vote for the bill. 'I can't go to Port Orford and walk the beach — as I love to do, because everything's better at the beach — and not find plastic on my beaches,' Brock Smith said. 'I go up the rivers and there's beautiful and amazing camping sites that are free to stay at, and it's littered with plastic bags, plastic silverware. I have found the small shampoo and conditioners and soaps in the past, and frankly, that needs to change.' He added that the fishing, pulp and paper industries, all prominent in his district, will support removing plastic because cleaner water helps fish and the paper industry wants to produce more recyclable paper bags and wrapping that can be used instead of plastic. Sen. Todd Nash, R-Enterprise, lives far from the ocean but said he voted for the bill because of the timber industry. Other Republicans were less convinced. Sen. Kim Thatcher, a Keizer Republican who voted against the bill, said her dogs would look forward to it because they'd have easier access to saucy Chinese takeout that leaks out of folding boxes and can now be contained by a plastic bag. And Sen. Noah Robinson, R-Cave Junction, said he opposes littering but loves plastic. Stores, restaurants and hotels should have the freedom to choose the products they think are best for their customers, he said. 'Banning the plastic that is on those beaches is not the solution. It's just teaching people better practices and trying to control littering,' he said. The bill now heads to the House. If it becomes law, it would ban all plastic bags and automatically offering plastic utensils and condiments as of July 2026 and ban plastic packaging on single-use hotel toiletries as of July 2027. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers propose stricter ban on common store item after shoppers find loophole: 'We've known for a very long time'
In an effort to combat plastic waste, numerous states have introduced bans on grocery stores' and restaurants' use of plastic bags at checkout. In 2019, Oregon became the third state to enact such a ban, which was hailed by many as a positive step forward in the fight against plastic pollution, per The Oregonian. Five years later, environmental groups are reporting fewer discarded plastic bags, but not everyone is happy. This is because under the legislation banning single-use plastic bags, restaurants and grocery stores were allowed to offer their customers thicker plastic bags as well as paper bags at a minimum cost of five cents per bag — and this cost was not enough to deter people from packing their groceries in plastic. However, proposed legislation could combat this problem by ruling out plastic bags completely. Should plastic grocery bags be banned nationwide? Absolutely No way Let each state decide I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. If passed, Oregon Senate Bill 551, which is sponsored by Democrat Janeen Sollman of Hillsboro, will phase out other single-use plastics such as toiletries offered in hotels. California recently passed similar legislation that has banned plastic bags, and in January stores will only be able to offer recycled paper bags. This step means that people will need to carry reusable shopping bags. There are lots of positives associated with reusable shopping bags. They hold more than single-use plastic ones and don't break as easily, which can make it easier to transport your groceries. They also reduce the amount of garbage produced by a household once they have been used several times. Plastic pollution is a global problem that these bans address. According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, 24 million tons of plastic reached the environment in 2019 alone. This plastic pollution poisons soil and groundwater, which can have serious health impacts on communities. Plastic can also cause significant harm to wildlife. "We've known for a very long time that single-use plastic bags are wasteful," said Celeste Meiffren-Swango, state director of Environment Oregon, per The Oregonian. "They pollute our communities, threaten our health and harm wildlife. Now we look forward to the Oregon Legislature taking action to get rid of all plastic bags at checkout, once and for all." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers propose stricter ban on common store item after shoppers find loophole: 'We've known for a very long time'
In an effort to combat plastic waste, numerous states have introduced bans on grocery stores' and restaurants' use of plastic bags at checkout. In 2019, Oregon became the third state to enact such a ban, which was hailed by many as a positive step forward in the fight against plastic pollution, per The Oregonian. Five years later, environmental groups are reporting fewer discarded plastic bags, but not everyone is happy. This is because under the legislation banning single-use plastic bags, restaurants and grocery stores were allowed to offer their customers thicker plastic bags as well as paper bags at a minimum cost of five cents per bag — and this cost was not enough to deter people from packing their groceries in plastic. However, proposed legislation could combat this problem by ruling out plastic bags completely. Should plastic grocery bags be banned nationwide? Absolutely No way Let each state decide I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. If passed, Oregon Senate Bill 551, which is sponsored by Democrat Janeen Sollman of Hillsboro, will phase out other single-use plastics such as toiletries offered in hotels. California recently passed similar legislation that has banned plastic bags, and in January stores will only be able to offer recycled paper bags. This step means that people will need to carry reusable shopping bags. There are lots of positives associated with reusable shopping bags. They hold more than single-use plastic ones and don't break as easily, which can make it easier to transport your groceries. They also reduce the amount of garbage produced by a household once they have been used several times. Plastic pollution is a global problem that these bans address. According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, 24 million tons of plastic reached the environment in 2019 alone. This plastic pollution poisons soil and groundwater, which can have serious health impacts on communities. Plastic can also cause significant harm to wildlife. "We've known for a very long time that single-use plastic bags are wasteful," said Celeste Meiffren-Swango, state director of Environment Oregon, per The Oregonian. "They pollute our communities, threaten our health and harm wildlife. Now we look forward to the Oregon Legislature taking action to get rid of all plastic bags at checkout, once and for all." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
