Texas Bag Ban Preemption Legislation Defeated

Texas now has over 12 local municipalities that have enacted bag ban ordinances to help rid towns of single-use plastic bag litter.  However, some state legislators have targeted this municipal right and try to take away local home rule used to protect their communities and environment.  In 2017, Senate Bill 103 was introduced to prevent municipalities from passing local ordinances “relating to the provision of bags to customers of a business at the point of sale”.  With a concerted effort to provide statewide advocacy to stop this bad preemption bill, alongside Texas Campaign for the Environment and others, the Surfrider Texas Chapters were successful in preventing the exclusive state control of this local issue.  Citizens care about the beaches, parks, waterways and streets close to their homes; this win ensures that Texans can continue to act locally to protect these valuable places.