State Senators are passing a bill that preemptively bans banning plastic straws or restricting glass bottles and containers within parks and recreation sites.
Proponents say some towns across the state are considering banning plastic bags. They did not name specific communities. They say that ban will increase costs on small business owners
Republican State Senator John Wiik is the prime sponsor of the bill. He says the bill also protects locals who live outside city limits.
“They participate in the commerce of those municipalities and they don’t often get a vote,” Wiik says. “I think this discussion, if we’re going to do something like this—especially for the businesses that operate in those towns and different towns around the state—if we can keep it a level playing field for everybody, everybody wins.”
He says the issue was brought to him by the South Dakota Retailers Association.
Critics, like Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender, say the bill attacks local control by way of what he calls the parasitic nibbling of special interests.
The bill is heading to the Senate floor.