What's happening
This bill restricts restaurants in New York from providing single-use plastic straws unless a customer specifically requests one.
Why it matters
Limits automatic distribution of single-use plastic straws, potentially reducing plastic waste and environmental pollution by changing consumer and business habits at the point of sale.
Specifically defines which food establishments are covered and which are exempt, meaning the impact is focused on sit-down and fast-casual restaurants rather than takeout-only or drive-through venues.
Allows for alternatives to plastic straws (such as paper, sugar cane, or bamboo), which could encourage the development and adoption of more sustainable products in the food service industry.
Establishes a phased enforcement, with only warnings and compliance education issued during the first year, giving businesses time to adapt before monetary penalties are imposed for violations.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Limit Plastic Straws in Restaurants
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
25 Co-sponsors
- Donna Lupardo
- Aravella Simotas
- Ellen C. Jaffee
- Al Taylor
- Walter T. Mosley
- William Colton
- Deborah Glick
- Yuh-Line Niou
- Richard Gottfried
- Charles Barron
- Jose Rivera
- Rebecca Seawright
- Jo Anne Simon
- Felix Ortiz
- Luis R. Sepúlveda
- Christine Pellegrino
- Michael Blake
- Joseph Errigo
- Anthony D'Urso
- Sandy Galef
- Didi Barrett
- Harry B. Bronson
- Phil Steck
- David Weprin
- Patricia Fahy
3 Multi-sponsors
History
- Reported referred to codes
- Print number 9994b
- Amend (t) and recommit to environmental conservation
- Print number 9994a
- Amend and recommit to environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Limit Plastic Straws in Restaurants
In Senate Committee · Environmental Conservation · Sponsor Brad Hoylman-Sigal
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
9994--B
IN ASSEMBLY
March 7, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL, LUPARDO, SIMOTAS, JAFFEE, TAYLOR, MOSLEY, COLTON, GLICK, NIOU, GOTTFRIED, BARRON, RIVERA, SEAWRIGHT, SIMON, ORTIZ, PELLEGRINO, BLAKE, ERRIGO, D'URSO, GALEF -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. LIFTON, THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- again reported from said committee with amendments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law and the general business law, in relation to prohibitions on single-use plastic straws in restaurants
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Article 27 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new title 28 to read as follows:
TITLE 28
PLASTIC STRAW RESTRICTIONS Section 27-2801. Definitions.
27-2803. Single-use plastic straws.
27-2805. Enforcement. § 27-2801. Definitions. For the purposes of this title, "restaurant" means any diner or other eating or beverage establishment, which offers for sale food or beverages to the public, guests, members, or patrons, where the food or beverages are customarily consumed on the premises. For purposes of this title, "restaurant" shall include a fast food establishment, bar, coffee shop, cafeteria, luncheonette, or short order cafe; however, "restaurant" shall not include a sandwich stand, soda fountain, drive-through portion of a restaurant, drive-in restaurant, or any establishment or portion of a restaurant where food or beverages are customarily consumed off the premises. § 27-2803. Single-use plastic straws.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14988-04-8
A. 9994--B 2
1. Restaurants shall only provide single-use plastic straws to customers when explicitly requested by the customer or selected by the consumer from a self-service dispenser.
2. Nothing in this section shall preclude a restaurant from providing customers with non-plastic straws as an alternative to single-use plastic straws, including, but not limited to, straws made from paper, sugar cane, or bamboo. § 27-2805. Enforcement.
Any person who violates this title shall be liable for a civil penalty in the amount of one hundred dollars for the first violation, two hundred dollars for the second violation committed on a different day within a period of twelve months, and four hundred dollars the the third and each subsequent violation committed on different days within a period of twelve months, except that the department shall not issue a notice of violation, but shall issue a warning and provide information on compliance with such section, for any violation that occurs within one year of the effective date of this section.
§ 2. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 399- tt to read as follows:
§ 399-tt. Single-use plastic straws. Restaurants shall only provide single-use plastic straws to customers where explicitly requested by the customer pursuant to title twenty-eight of article twenty-seven of the environmental conservation law.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.