AB 158 (Levine - 2013) - The bill would have prohibited specified stores from providing a single-use carryout bag to a customer and would require those stores to meet requirements regarding providing recycled paper bags, compostable bags or reusable bags. The bill would have required reusable grocery bags that are sold or provided to a store by a reusable grocery bag producer to meet specified requirements, and would have required a producer to provide an independent certification to CalRecycle that the bags meet the requirements, and to pay a specified fee. The bill would have allowed a city, county, or city and county, or the state to impose civil penalties for a violation of the bill’s requirements, except for the certification requirements. This bill would have prohibited enforcement and implementation of local ordinances and other local regulations on this subject that were enacted on or after January 1, 2014, as specified.

Status: Died on Assembly Floor

SB 405 (Padilla - 2013) - As of January 1, 2015, this bill would prohibit stores of a specific size or sales volume from providing a single-use carryout bag to a customer and require these stores to meet other specified requirements regarding providing recycled paper bags, compostable bags, or reusable bags to customers. As of July 1, 2016, this bill would impose these prohibitions and requirements on other retail stores. This bill would require a reusable grocery bag provided by a store in the state to meet certain requirements, and would allow a local jurisdiction or the state to impose civil penalties for a violation of the bill's requirements. A violation of the reusable grocery bag requirements would be subject to an administrative civil penalty imposed upon grocery bag producers and assessed by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. This bill would allow a local public agency that has adopted an ordinance, resolution, regulation, or rule relating to carryout bags prior to September 1, 2013 to continue enforcement and implementation, but would require amendments other than to the amount a store shall charge with regard to a recycled paper bag be subject to state preemption.

Status: Died in Senate Appropriations Committee

SB 529 (Leno - 2013) - This bill would enact the Plastic and Marine Pollution Reduction, Recycling, and Composting Act. On and after July 1, 2014, this bill would prohibit a fast food facility, as defined, from distributing disposable food service packaging or a single-use carryout bag to a consumer, unless the disposable food service packaging or single-use carryout bag meets the criteria for either compostable packaging or recyclable packaging. On and after July 1, 2016, this bill would also prohibit distributing disposable food service packaging or a single-use carryout bag to a consumer, unless the facility demonstrates that the disposable food service packaging or single-use carryout bag is recovered for composting or recycling at a rate of at least 25 percent, on and after July 1, 2018, at a rate of at least 50 percent, and on and after July 1, 2020, at a rate of least 75 percent. This bill would provide for the imposition of a civil penalty upon a person in violation of the act. All penalties would be deposited into the Marine Pollution Reduction Account, which the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery would use to provide public education and assist local governmental agencies in efforts to reduce plastic waste and marine pollution, and to implement the act.

Status: Died in Senate Appropriations Committee

SB 700 (Wolk - 2013) - This bill would require retail establishments that sell food or alcohol for consumption on or off premises to collect a charge of $0.05 for each single-use carryout bag provided to customers. Establishments would be able to retain $0.005 of that charge and would be able to collect an additional $0.005 if they credit customers $0.05 for each carryout bag provided by the consumer for packaging his or her purchases, and meet other requirements. This bill would allow the governing body of a city or county to adopt an ordinance that provides that the charge does not apply in that city or county. The collected charges are to be deposited in the Local Environmental Enhancement Fund for expenditure by the Natural Resources Agency to be used for implementation of the bill and to issue grants to a city or county for local parks and for local programs aimed at reducing and cleaning up litter. This bill would not preempt or prohibit local ordinances governing single-use carryout bags.

Status: Died in Senate Appropriations Committee

AB 1337 (Allen - 2013) - This bill would prohibit a city, county, or other public agency from adopting, implementing, or enforcing an ordinance, resolution, regulation, or rule that prohibits a retail establishment from offering to its customers, or otherwise prohibits a person from using, a single-use plastic carryout bag for purposes of containing specified products. The bill would also prohibit a city, county, or other public agency that otherwise prohibits the distribution of single-use plastic carryout bags by retail establishments from adopting, implementing, or enforcing an ordinance, resolution, regulation, or rule that imposes a fee, tax, or other charge upon a retail establishment that provides a single-use carryout bag that is not made of plastic to its customers or that requires the retail establishment to collect a fee, tax, or other charge from a customer for providing that type of single-use carryout bag. The bill would declare the matters regulated by the bill are of statewide interest and concern.

Status: Died in Assembly Committee on Natural Resources

SB 1106 (Strickland - 2012) - The bill would require a person that manufactures a reusable bag to print or attach a warning label on the reusable bag containing "WARNING: Reusable bags must be cleaned and disinfected between uses to prevent food cross contamination. Failure to do so can cause serious illness resulting from food-borne pathogens." The bill would also require a person who sells or distributes a reusable bag to conspicuously display that warning near the display where reusable bags are sold or distributed or provide that warning in another written form. The bill would require the department, by October 1, 2013, to conduct a study, in consultation with the State Department of Public Health, to evaluate the health risks of using reusable bags, to monitor the health effects in communities that principally use reusable bags, and to determine the validity of specified findings of previously published studies. The bill would require the department, upon completing the study, to conduct a one-year statewide education and awareness campaign.

Status: Died in Senate Environmental Quality Committee

AB 298 (Brownley - 2011) - This bill would, on or after January 1, 2014, prohibit a store from providing to a customer a single-use plastic carryout bag to a customer at the point of sale. It would allow stores to provide to a customer a reusable grocery bag, recycled paper bag, or compostable bag for purchase. It would relieve customers participating in State low-income programs from paying for reusable and recycled paper bags. It would require stores, as defined, to place a plastic bag collection bin at the store that is clearly marked as such. It would define a reusable grocery bag and establish procedures for reusable grocery bag producers to be in compliance in cases where a reusable grocery bag must have postconsumer recycled material and are unable to obtain sufficient amounts of postconsumer recycled material. It would define a schedule for reusable grocery bag producers to prove to CalRecycle their respective bags are in compliance. It would also provide for a reusable bag certification fee to be determined by CalRecycle that is sufficient to cover all of CalRecycle's costs for enforcement. It would establish a Reusable Bag Account within the Integrated Waste Management Fund where all certification fees would be deposited and expended by CalRecycle at the appropriation of the legislature. It would require CalRecycle to submit a one-time report to the Legislature regarding the effectiveness of the act and recommendations for statutory changes. And it would allow a City, County, a City and County, or the State to impose civil liability in the amount of five hundred dollars for the first violation of the act, one thousand dollars for the second violation and two thousand dollars for the third and subsequent violations.

Status: Died in Senate Appropriations Committee

SB 915 (Calderon - 2011) - This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to require a reduction in plastic bag use, establish a mandatory level of recycled content in plastic bags according to a specified schedule, increase funding for recycling education, establish incentives for consumers to return or recycle plastic bags, suspend local plastic bag ordinances, and prohibit local governments from taking certain actions regarding plastic bags.

Status: Died in Senate Environmental Quality Committee

AB 1998 (Brownley - 2010) - This bill would, on and after July 1, 2011, prohibit a store, as defined, from providing a plastic carryout bag to a customer, and as a result repeal at-store recycling requirements. The bill would require a store, on and after July 1, 2011, to either make reusable bags available for purchase by the customer or provide a paper carryout bag that is subject to a $0.25 fee. This bill would preempt local regulations on the use and sales of reusable bags, single use carryout bags, recycled paper bags, or other specified bags at stores, as defined.

Status: Died in Senate Rules Committee

AB 2138 (Chesbro - 2010) - This bill would enact the Plastic Ocean Pollution Reduction, Recycling, and Composting Act and would prohibit a food provider, after an unspecified date, but not after July 1, 2013, from distributing a disposable food service packaging or a single-use carryout bag, as defined, unless the packaging or bag meet the criteria for either compostable packaging or recyclable packaging. The bill would prohibit a food provider, on and after July 1, 2013, from distributing a disposable food service packaging or a single-use carryout bag to a consumer, unless the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery determines the packaging or bag meets a specified composting or recycling rate.

Status: Died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee

HR 2091 (Moran - 2009) - This bill, known as the Plastic Bag Reduction Act of 2009, would impose a retail tax on single use carryout bags in the amount of $0.05 as early as January 1, 2010, and $0.25 on and after January 1, 2015. The bill would also establish the Single Use Carryout Bag Trust Fund where the impending fees will be collected for allocation.

Status: Died in the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands

SB 531 (DeSaulnier - 2009) - This bill would require the development of educational materials by manufacturers, for reducing, reusing, and the recycling of plastic bags on and after July 1, 2011. The bill would authorize the California Integrated Waste Management Board to modify and approve those educational materials by January 1, 2012. The bill would also set minimum requirements for information to be included in the educational materials.

Status: Died in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee

AB 1141 (Calderon - 2009) - This bill would extend the preemption provisions of AB 2449 from 2013 to 2017; prohibit local governments from imposing a fee on paper bags and from banning or restricting plastic and paper bags; redefine reusable bags to include lighter weight plastic bags; establish a 50% recycling benchmark by 2014; increase the recycled content of plastic bags, provided market conditions allow sufficient supply/quality of materials; require manufacturers to directly pay into a $25 million fund for litter abatement. Funds remaining after State administrative costs would be allocated to local governments (on a per capita basis) and state agencies, based on guidance from a special advisory panel.

Status: Died in Assembly Natural Resources Committee

AB 68 (Brownley - 2009) - This bill would have, on and after July 1, 2010, prohibited a large supermarket, pharmacy, or convenience food store with over 10,000 sq. ft., from providing a single use carryout bag to a customer unless the store charges a fee of not less than $0.25 per bag at the point of sale. The bill would have provided certain exemptions, and allow the retail establishment to retain a portion of the fee. Eighty percent of funds collected by the State would have been available for grants to local government on a per capita basis for litter prevention activities.

Status: Died in Assembly Natural Resources Committee

AB 87 (Davis - 2009) - This bill would have, on and after July 1, 2010, prohibited a large supermarket, pharmacy, or convenience food store with over 10,000 sq. ft., from providing a single use carryout bag to a customer unless the store charged a fee of not less than $0.25 per bag at the point of sale. The bill would have provided certain exemptions, and allow the retail establishment to retain a portion of the fee. Three percent of funds collected by the State would have been utilized for costs of administration, collection, enforcement, and auditing. Five percent of the funds would have been utilized by the Board for implementation and promotion of the programs related to single use carryout bags. Remaining moneys would have been expended to local government on a per capita basis for litter prevention activities. This bill was sponsored by Los Angeles County.

Status: Died in Assembly Natural Resources Committee

AB 2769 (Brownley, Davis, Levine - 2008) - This bill would have prohibited a large supermarket or pharmacy from providing a single use carryout bag (including plastic, paper, and compostable/biodegradable bags) to a customer unless the store charged a $0.25 per bag fee, beginning January 1, 2010. Portions of the generated funds would have been retained by affected stores, with the remaining funds provided to jurisdictions to implement specified recycling and public education programs mitigating the impacts of single use carryout bags, including (1) projects that encourage recycling of single-use carryout bags, (2) cleanup and restoration activities, and (3) public education programs.

Status: Died in Committee

AB 2829 (Davis, Price, Swanson - 2008) - This bill would have required each plastic carryout bag provided by the store to have printed or displayed on the bag an environmental awareness statement describing the negative environmental and wildlife impacts caused by littered plastic carryout bags and would have encouraged the use of reusable bags. It would have required, on and after July 1, 2009, a person to pay specified stores a plastic carryout bag impact fee of $0.25 per bag. Fees collected would have been deposited in the California Plastic Carryout Bag Impact Fund, to be available to local governments on a per-capita basis for various plastic bag cleanup and reduction activities.

Status: Died in Committee

AB 2058 (Brownley, Davis, Levine - 2008) - This bill would have required supermarkets and retail stores over 10,000 ft to demonstrate 70% diversion of plastic bags by December 31, 2010. Should the goal not have been met, retailers would then charge a $0.25 fee for each plastic bag distributed. Funds collected would be used for plastic bag litter reduction and recycling activities, with 3% of the fees collected paid to the Waste Board.

Status: Died in Committee