SB5077 – Prohibiting single-use plastic straws
Prime Sponsor – Senator Kuderer (D, 48th District, Bellevue)
Current status – Returned to the Senate Rules Committee at the end of the 2019 session. Reintroduced and retained in present status for 2020 session. Placed in the Senate “X” file February 24th.
Next step would be – Dead bill.
Legislative tracking page for the bill.

2019 Legislative History –
In the Senate (Passed) –
Had a hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology January 24th. Substitute bill passed out of committee February 14th. Referred to Rules for 2nd Reading. Passed by the Senate with minor amendment by prime sponsor March 4th.
In the House –
Referred to the House Committee on Environment and Energy. Had a hearing March 14th. Replaced by a striker, further amended, and passed out of committee April 1st. Referred to the Rules Committee. Returned to the Senate Rules Committee at the end of the 2019 session.

Comments: – It isn’t obvious that banning plastic straws will reduce greenhouse emissions, though it might, and that’s not the main point of the proposal in any case. (To decide whether or not it would you’d need a full life-cycle analysis of their use compared to that of paper straws, glass straws, bamboo straws, the new plastic covers Starbucks is introducing with lids that make it easier to drink from them, and so on…) This is equally true of the bills about banning plastic carryout bags (HB1205) and reducing the use of plastic packaging (HB1204).

The substitute bill dropped the prohibition on the sales and distribution of plastic straws, would keep restaurants from using them unless a customer asked for one, and made some other changes which are summarized on pp. 2-3 of the Senate Bill Report.

The changes in the House striker are summarized on its last page. It and the amendments made a number of minor adjustments to the rules, and increased the potential fines to $250/day for the third and subsequent violations and a maximum of $3,000 a year.

Details – Bans sale and distribution of all plastic straws as of July 30, 2020, including ones that are compostable, biodegradeable, and/or made from plant-based plastics. Creates a process for recommendations to Legislature about addressing the needs of health care facilities and disabled individuals and about avoiding unintended consequences. Imposes a fine of $25/day for violations after two warnings, with a maximum fine of $300.