DON’T BAN BAGS! It hurts Hawaii | Oppose SB1551/HB611

(The following article is a submission written by LPHI member, Silas Martin.)

Hawaii is green and beautiful, with large coral reefs and lush greenery, and we want to keep it pristine. However, SB1551/HB611 wouldn't be good for Hawaii's people. This bill bans all single-use plastic bags and non-recyclable paper bags, making it hard to carry things from stores.  Violators will:  

“(2)  Be assessed a fine of not less than $100, but not more than $1,000 for each day of the violation.”

It restricts how businesses and business owners can use their own property, thereby infringing upon their property rights. This bill is conceived out of fear, rather than sense . It infringes on the Due Process Clause, interfering with voluntary exchanges between customers and businesses, which should be able to decide what they want to buy and sell, or give and take. And a daily fine of up to $1,000 is potentially more than a small, family-owned business can afford. Instead of helping, this deprives the people of Hawaii of the right to have what they need to function in a hotel and will only harm businesses. This would also be very inconvenient for customers and using paper bags would be problematic, as they tear and mold easily, especially in the rain, and recyclable bags are much more expensive. This would make it problematic for small hotels, food trucks, and small restaurants. 

          While it might mitigate pollution, it would also cause numerous problems. I don't think littering and pollution are good, but banning all plastic bags isn't the way to go. Doing that would put unnecessary strain on every small business causing many to fall apart, ripping at the seams. 

I implore anyone who reads this bill to oppose this bill. It has more bad effects than good ones. We already have a $100+ fine for littering, so we, the people, need to stand against tyrannical laws like this. It treats full-grown adults like children unable to manage waste responsibly, or make business decisions on their own.

Let's protect our environment through common-sense solutions that don't punish the people who keep Hawaii running.

Help Us oppose  SB1551/HB611:

Take action by following these two steps:

1. Click on the hyperlink to familiarize yourself with the bill text: oppose SB1551/HB611

2. Testify. Our simple instructions make this process easy!

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