Roll Call! House Bans “Single Use” Plastic Bags, Etc. (120-24), 2019

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PASSED
in the State House of Representatives
on May 9, 2019, by a vote of
120-24
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Purpose: To make it illegal for businesses to provide “single use” plastic bags to customers at the point of sale, or to provide polystyrene food or beverage containers, or to provide plastic straws except upon request, and to require businesses to charge at least 10¢ per paper bag (if not given away for free).  
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Analysis: Those voting YES believe this is a necessary step to reduce the amount of single use plastics in the waste stream and in the environment. It is an attempt to “change the culture” that will force consumers to use bring and re-use cloth or “multi-use” plastic bags.
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Those voting NO believe this is an example of government overreach and that the measure will ultimately not benefit the environment because manufacturing paper bags produces more greenhouse gas than the thin plastic bags and requires more natural resources. It takes four trucks (diesel emissions) to deliver the same amount of paper bags as one truck does for plastic. Where bag bans are in effect and stores stopped giving away thin plastic bags at check out, sales of thick plastic garbage-can liners spiked up 120% (78% of “single use” plastic bags are, in fact, reused), so plastic was not being removed from the waste stream. Cloth and plastic fabric bags have an even greater negative impact on the environment as they require vast environmental resources (tractors, pesticides, water, etc.) to grow the cotton for the cloth bags, and they are all manufactured in Asia, meaning they must be transported by cargo ship (fuel oil/ocean pollution) to the US before being distributed nationwide in trucks. Additionally, this policy puts out of work US based union jobs manufacturing thin plastic bags and rewards those Asian countries that are doing the overwhelming bulk of polluting the oceans with plastic.
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As Recorded in the House Journal, Thursday, May 9, 2019: “Shall the bill be read a third time? was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 120. Nays, 24.” (Read the Journal, p. 1290-1303.)

How They Voted

Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES
Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – YES
Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES
Robert Bancroft (R – Westford) – YES
John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – YES
Lynn Batchelor (R – Derby) – NO
Christopher Bates (D – Bennington) – YES
Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – YES
Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES
Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – YES
Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – NO
Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – YES
Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – YES
Cynthia Browning (D – Arlington) – YES
Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – YES
Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – NO
Mollie Burke (P – Brattleboro) – YES
Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES
William Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – NO
James Carroll (D – Bennington) – YES
Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES
Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (P – Middletown Springs) – YES
Annmarie Christensen (D – Weathersfield) – YES
Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – YES
Brian Cina (P – Burlington) – YES
Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES
Selene Colburn (P – Burlington) – YES
Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – YES
Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – YES
Charles Conquest (D – Newbury) – YES
Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – YES
Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – YES
Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – YES
Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – NO
Carl Demrow (D – Corinth) – YES
Eileen Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – NO
Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – YES
Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – YES
Johannah Donovan (D – Burlington) – YES
David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES
Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – YES
Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – YES
Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – NO
Charen Fegard (D – Berkshire) – YES
Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – YES
Robert Forguites (D – Springfield) – DECEASED
Marianna Gamache (R – Swanton) – NO
John Gannon (D – Wilmington) – YES
Marcia Gardner (D – Richmond) – YES
Dylan Giambatista (D – Essex) – YES
Diana Gonzalez (P – Winooski) – ABSENT
Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – ABSENT
Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – YES
Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – NO
James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – NO
Sandy Haas (P – Rochester) – YES
Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – YES
James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – YES
Nader Hashim (D – Dummerston) – YES
Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO
Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO
Matthew Hill (D – Wolcott) – ABSENT
Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES
Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – YES
Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – YES
Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – YES
Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – YES
Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – YES
Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES
Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – YES
Benjamin Jickling (I – Randolph) – YES
Mitzi Johnson (D – Grand Isle) – PRESIDING
John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – YES
Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – YES
Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES

Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – YES
Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – YES
Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – YES
Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – YES
Felisha Leffler (R – Enosburgh) – NO
William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – YES
Emily Long (D – Newfane) – YES
Terence Macaig (D – Williston) – YES
Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – YES
Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO
James Masland (D – Thetford) – YES
Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO
Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – YES
Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – YES
Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – NO
James McCullough (D – Williston) – YES
Francis McFaun (R – Barre) – NO
Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – YES
Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – YES
Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – YES
Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – YES
Linda Myers (R – Essex) – YES
Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES
Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – YES
William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES
Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – YES
John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES
Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES
Jean O’Sullivan (D – Burlington) – YES
Woodman Page (R – Newport) – YES
Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – YES
John Palasik (R – Milton) – ABSENT
Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – YES
Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – YES
David Potter (D – Clarendon) – YES
Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Constance Quimby (R – Concord) – NO
Barbara Rachelson (D – Burlington) – YES
Zachariah Ralph (P – Hartland) – YES
Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – YES
Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – YES
Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO
Brian Savage (R – Swanton) – NO
Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – YES
Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – YES
Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – YES
Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – YES
Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – YES
Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – YES
Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO
Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – YES
Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – YES
Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – YES
Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO
Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Burlington) – YES
Mary Sullivan (D – Dorset) – YES
Randall Szott (D – Barnard) – YES
Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – YES
Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) – NO
George Till (D – Jericho) – YES
Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – YES
Catherine Toll (D – Danville) – YES
Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – NO
Maida Townsend (D – South) – YES
Matthew Trieber (D – Rockingham) – YES
Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES
Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – YES
Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – YES
Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – YES
Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – YES
David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – YES
Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES
Samuel Young (D – Greensboro) – YES

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