Should plastic bags be banned? County Council seeks public opinion Tuesday

Plus: Hearing on U visa immigration bill, vote on $3 million appropriation for 988 crisis hotline

January 13, 2025 5:04 p.m.

The Montgomery County Council will hear from the public Tuesday on proposed legislation that would ban plastic bags at commercial retailers in the county.

The council also will host a public hearing on proposed legislation that would limit visa restrictions on some undocumented immigrants who are victims of violent crime and will vote on a nearly $3 million appropriation for the county’s 988 mental health crisis hotline.

The council will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Stella Werner Council Office Building in Rockville for its regular weekly business meeting. Here’s what to expect:

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Proposed plastic bag ban public hearing

The council will host a public hearing on a bill that would prohibit retail establishments from providing plastic shopping and carryout bags, with some exceptions. The proposed law would allow the establishments to provide paper bags at a 10-cent tax per bag.

The “Bring Your Own Bag” bill is sponsored by council President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) and co-sponsored by council Vice President Will Jawando (D-At-large) and councilmembers Natali Fani-Gonzàlez (D-Dist. 6), Evan Glass (D-At-large) and Laurie-Anne Sayles (D-At-large).

“Banning single-use plastic carryout bags will assist in the cleanup of our waterways, parks and public spaces and advance public health,” Stewart said during a media briefing Monday. “The bill encourages people to bring reusable bags with them shopping and improves the process for our local businesses.”

The county currently imposes a 5-cent tax on plastic bags; that tax would be repealed under the proposed legislation. A June 2023 report from the Office of Inspector General revealed the county lost up to a potential $8.2 million from not properly enforcing its plastic carryout bag tax that was enacted in 2012.

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According to the proposed bill, a retailer could provide a plastic bag for exceptions such as purchases of prescription drugs, to carry drycleaning items and to hold perishable items such as meat. Newspaper mailer bags also would be allowed.

The proposed 10-cent tax on paper bags would not apply to those exceptions either and also would not apply to paper bags provided for restaurant leftovers, food delivery or fast food purchases passed through a drive-thru window. Customers who receive Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and/or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits also would be exempt from the tax.

The proposal has received both praise and criticism from the public, with multiple op-eds published by Bethesda Today. Critics argued that reusable bags can carry E. coli, while a local epidemiologist refuted this claim in an op-ed response.

However, Stewart noted Tuesday that Montgomery County is not pioneering this ban – other  jurisdictions, including Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Prince George’s counties and the cities of Annapolis, Baltimore and Frederick have passed similar bans on plastic bags.

“I developed this bill in coordination with environmentalists, retailers and local chambers of commerce,” Stewart said. “It aligns with nine other neighboring areas around Maryland and moves toward a more sustainable future in the county.”

U visa bill public hearing

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Another council public hearing Tuesday will focus on legislation that intends to strengthen protections for undocumented immigrants who are victims of violent crime, an issue that legislation sponsors said is especially important considering President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to deport undocumented immigrants after he takes office next week.

The U visa Law Enforcement Certification Policy, or the Uplifting Victims and Immigrant Safety Act (U V.I.S.A.),  is sponsored by Glass, Fani-González and Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7). It’s co-sponsored by Stewart and councilmembers Gabe Albornoz (D-At-large), Marilyn Balcombe (D-Dist. 2), Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) and Sidney Katz (D-Dist. 3).

The federal U visa, or U nonimmigrant status, grants legal status to victims of violent crimes — such as sexual assault, human trafficking and domestic violence — who assist law enforcement with the investigation of those crimes. While federal and state law have no statute of limitation for U visa eligibility, Montgomery County has a 10-year cap on assisting crime victims in its U visa application process. The proposed legislation would remove that cap so that crime victims can still apply after 10 years.

Glass said he was inspired to sponsor the bill after a lawyer contacted the council early in 2024 when the lawyer’s client, a survivor of sexual assault, was unable to obtain a U visa due to the county’s cap, but that he also believes the legislation is more “urgent” following Trump’s election.

According to Montgomery County police Capt. Jeffrey Bunge, director of the Special Victims Investigations Division, nine people in the county who applied for U visa status in 2024 were deemed ineligible due to the county’s existing 10-year cap. In 2023, the police department received 145 applications for U visa status. In 2024, 121 people had applied by early December.

Public hearing and action on appropriation for 988 mental health crisis hotline

The council will host a public hearing and then immediately take action on a proposed state grant appropriation of about $2.8 million for the county’s 988 mental health crisis hotline.

“The supplemental appropriation combines funding from two state grant awards provided through the Maryland Behavioral Health Administration,” Stewart said during Monday’s media briefing. “The funds will help cover operational costs, staffing needs, information technology, cyber-security audit and indirect costs for providing Lifeline 988 hotline services.”

The county contracts with EveryMind, a mental wellness nonprofit organization based in Rockville, to provide telephone, text and chat services through the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and Montgomery County Hotline. Services include supportive listening and providing information, resource referrals and crisis intervention, including suicide assessments, according to the council agenda packet.

The appropriation will have no fiscal impact on the county’s budget, as the funds were procured via state grant, according to the agenda packet.

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