HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1699        FILED ON: 1/18/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 887

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

David M. Rogers

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act restricting distribution of single-use plastic straws.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1699        FILED ON: 1/18/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 887

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 998 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act restricting distribution of single-use plastic straws.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 140 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 6B the following section:–

Section 6C. (a) As used in this section the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-

“Food establishment”, an operation that stores, prepares, packages, serves, vends, or otherwise provides food for human consumption, including but not limited to any establishment requiring a permit to operate in accordance with the State Food Code.

“Single-use plastic straw”, a single-use, disposable tube made predominantly of plastic derived from either petroleum or a biologically based polymer, such as corn or other plant sources, used to transfer a beverage from a container to the mouth of the person drinking the beverage. “Single-use plastic straw” shall not include a straw made from non-plastic materials, including, but not limited to, paper, pasta, sugar cane, wood, or bamboo.

(b) A food establishment shall not provide a single-use plastic straw to a customer unless requested by the customer.

(c) The relevant licensing authority applicable to the food establishment may enforce the provisions of this section for a first violation of this section by providing a written warning and for a second or subsequent violation a fine of $25 for each day food establishment is in violation, but not to exceed $300 annually.