TOPEKA (KSNT) - A bill that would prevent local governments from enforcing plastic bans is heading to Kansas Governor Laura Kelly's desk. The bill would, effectively, nullify Lawrence's recently approved ban on plastic bags.
The Kansas Senate voted 24-16 to pass the bill on Wednesday, March 27 forwarding it to the Governor.
"The City of Lawrence should be able to continue and other communities throughout the state be given the opportunity to regulate plastic and other containers designed for the consumption, transportation or protection of merchandise, food or beverages tailored to their solid waste programs and their needs," said Senator Marci Francisco, a Democrat from Lawrence.
The proposal would prevent cities and counties from regulating plastic and other containers designed for the consumption, transportation or protection of merchandise, food or beverages. A number of Democrats blasted the proposal, citing that it ignores Home Rule, a section of the state constitution enacted in the 1960s.
Eric Stafford, the Kansas Chamber’s vice president of Government Affairs, sent the following statement to Nexstar’s Kansas Capitol Bureau regarding Lawrence’s ban on plastic bags last month.
"When one city or county in a state decides to ban something, or require something of businesses not required in other jurisdictions, it places burdens on employers and increases costs on consumers.
The logic behind banning single-use plastic bags is so flawed. Supporters argue you can no longer use a single use plastic bag to carry your food wrapped in plastic. Instead you have to buy reusable plastic bags that contain three times as much plastic as a single use bag, all under the false impression you are doing something to protect the environment."
STATEMENT FROM ERIC STAFFORD, KANSAS CHAMBER’S VICE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
The Senate took it up for a vote this year, after the House voted 72-51 to pass the bill last year. If the Governor vetoes the proposal, the Senate will need 27 votes to override a veto, and the House will need 84.
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