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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Lawmakers are sending Gov. Jerry Brown a bill that would make California the first to impose a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags.
SB270 cleared the Senate on a 22-15 vote Friday. It was approved by the Assembly a day earlier.
Senators who had previously opposed the bill, including incoming Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat, this time supported the measure after protections were added for plastic bag manufacturers.
The bill would prohibit single-use plastic bags at grocery stores and large pharmacies in 2015 and at convenience stores in 2016.
It includes $2 million in loans to help manufacturers shift to producing reusable bags and lets grocers charge 10 cents each for paper and reusable bags.
A statewide ban had been a goal for lawmakers trying to reduce the buildup of plastic waste. About 100 local jurisdictions in California already have adopted similar bans.
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