Dear Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs Committee Member,

I am writing to you today as a very concerned citizen of Louisiana in opposition to Rep. Hollis' HB192, which would prohibit localities from regulating any carrier containers - i.e. plastic bags or to-go boxes. You will hear arguments on this bill in committee this Thursday morning.

This bill is a prime example of the state legislature overreaching into local affairs. Local communities know what is best for their residents. Municipalities pay for their own waste management, and should be able to enact sensible, locally-relevant regulations to control their own costs to benefit the health of their residents and their environment.

Big Plastic is trying to undermine efforts currently underway in cities like New Orleans to reduce plastic bag waste. Hundreds of cities nationwide have passed legislation to effectively decrease as much as 80% of their plastic bag pollution. This will prevent cities throughout the state of Louisiana from making their own decisions concerning needless plastic waste. Plastic bags clog our sewers, litter our lakes, choke birds and marine life that commonly mistake it for food, and ultimately contaminate our food chain and threaten the livelihoods of those working in our seafood industry.

So please kill this bill while it's still in your committee. Thank you very much!

Sincerely,
[Your Name]