New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HB392 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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28	28	HOUSE BILL 392
29	29	57
30	30	TH LEGISLATURE
31	31	-
32	32
33	33	STATE
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35	35	OF
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37	37	NEW
38	38
39	39	MEXICO
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41	41	-
42	42	FIRST SESSION
43	43	,
44	44
45	45	2025
46	46	INTRODUCED BY
47	47	Tara L. Lujan and Andrea Romero and Elizabeth "Liz" Stefanics
48	48	AN ACT
49	49	RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT; ENACTING THE SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
50	50	BAG ACT; PROHIBITING RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS FROM MAKING OR
51	51	DELIVERING GOODS USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BAGS; CREATING
52	52	EXCEPTIONS; PROVIDING PENALTIES.
53	53	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
54	54	SECTION 1. A new section of Chapter 74 NMSA 1978 is
55	55	enacted to read:
56	56	"[NEW MATERIAL] SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as the
57	57	"Single-Use Plastic Bag Act"."
58	58	SECTION 2. A new section of Chapter 74 NMSA 1978 is
59	59	enacted to read:
60	60	"[NEW MATERIAL] DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Single-Use
61	61	Plastic Bag Act:
62	62	A. "carryout bag" means a bag that is furnished to
63	63	.229141.4GLG underscored material = new
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90	90	a customer at a retail establishment at the point of sale for
91	91	use by the customer to transport or carry purchased items;
92	92	B. "department" means the department of
93	93	environment;
94	94	C. "plastic" means a synthetic material made from
95	95	linking monomers through a chemical reaction to create a
96	96	polymer chain that can be molded or extruded at high heat into
97	97	various solid forms, including material derived from petroleum
98	98	or a biologically based polymer such as corn or other plant
99	99	sources;
100	100	D. "recyclable cardboard box" means a box made of
101	101	non-coated cardboard, corrugated paper or paper;
102	102	E. "recycled content carryout bag" means a carryout
103	103	bag that contains a minimum of forty percent post-consumer
104	104	recycled content and is one hundred percent recyclable;
105	105	F. "retail establishment" means a retail business
106	106	that sells merchandise or dry goods to consumers or is a goods
107	107	or service delivery provider;
108	108	G. "reusable carryout bag" means a carryout bag
109	109	that is designed and manufactured for multiple uses, is made of
110	110	cloth or fiber or is a polypropylene or recycled-content
111	111	polyethylene terephthalate bag; and
112	112	H. "single-use plastic bag" means a carryout bag
113	113	made from plastic that is provided to a customer at a point of
114	114	sale for the purpose of transporting groceries, food or other
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143	143	goods that is made predominantly of plastic derived from
144	144	natural gas, petroleum or a biologically based source, such as
145	145	corn or other plant sources, and is not specifically designed
146	146	for or manufactured for multiple uses."
147	147	SECTION 3. A new section of Chapter 74 NMSA 1978 is
148	148	enacted to read:
149	149	"[NEW MATERIAL] PROHIBITIONS ON THE USE OF SINGLE-USE
150	150	PLASTIC BAGS--EXCEPTIONS.--
151	151	A. A retail establishment shall not provide a
152	152	single-use plastic bag or other bag or box that is not a
153	153	reusable carryout bag, recycled content carryout bag,
154	154	recyclable cardboard box or recycled corrugated paper box to
155	155	carry groceries, food or other goods from the point of sale in
156	156	a retail establishment.
157	157	B. This section does not apply to single-use
158	158	plastic bags:
159	159	(1) provided to customers for use with loose
160	160	or bulk products, produce, meat or fish or when provided for
161	161	separating items to avoid contamination or prevent damage from
162	162	moisture or for sanitary, public health or environmental
163	163	protection purposes;
164	164	(2) provided for prepared takeout food with a
165	165	potential for leakage, as determined by the retail
166	166	establishment, that is not intended for consumption on the
167	167	retail establishment's premises;
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196	196	(3) provided by pharmacists or veterinarians
197	197	to contain prescription drugs or medical necessities;
198	198	(4) provided by laundries or dry cleaning
199	199	establishments;
200	200	(5) used to transport or contain live animals;
201	201	(6) used to transport chemical pesticides or
202	202	drain-cleaning or other toxic chemicals sold at retail
203	203	establishments;
204	204	(7) used to protect newspapers from inclement
205	205	weather;
206	206	(8) distributed by manufacturers for packaging
207	207	or preparing goods for display prior to sale; or
208	208	(9) that are similar to those exempted by this
209	209	subsection, as determined by the department."
210	210	SECTION 4. A new section of Chapter 74 NMSA 1978 is
211	211	enacted to read:
212	212	"[NEW MATERIAL] DEPARTMENT RULES.--No later than December
213	213	31, 2025, the department shall promulgate rules for the
214	214	implementation of the provisions of the Single-Use Plastic Bag
215	215	Act."
216	216	SECTION 5. A new section of Chapter 74 NMSA 1978 is
217	217	enacted to read:
218	218	"[NEW MATERIAL] PAPER CARRYOUT BAGS ALLOWED--FEE--
219	219	DISPOSITION OF MONEY.--
220	220	A. A retail establishment may provide a customer
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249	249	with one or more paper carryout bags at the point of sale only
250	250	if the customer pays a carryout bag fee of not less than ten
251	251	cents ($.10) per paper carryout bag or a higher fee if a
252	252	municipality or county in which the retail establishment is
253	253	located raises the fee by ordinance, except that retail
254	254	establishments shall not collect the fee from a person with a
255	255	voucher or electronic benefits card issued under the women,
256	256	infants and children program, the emergency food assistance
257	257	program, the temporary assistance for needy families program or
258	258	the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program.
259	259	B. Retail establishments shall indicate on the
260	260	customer transaction receipt the number of paper carryout bags
261	261	provided.
262	262	C. Retail establishments shall not refund the
263	263	customer any portion of the fee, either directly or indirectly,
264	264	or advertise or otherwise convey to customers that a portion of
265	265	the fee will be refunded.
266	266	D. Seven cents ($.07) of the fee collected by a
267	267	retail establishment shall be transmitted to the municipality
268	268	in which the retail establishment is located, or if not located
269	269	in a municipality, the county in which the retail establishment
270	270	is located, for use in outreach efforts for education on waste
271	271	and litter reduction, except that if the municipality or county
272	272	in which the retail establishment is located implements a
273	273	higher fee pursuant to Subsection A of this section, the amount
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302	302	retained by the retail establishment shall not exceed three
303	303	cents ($.03) per bag.
304	304	E. A retail establishment shall, on a quarterly
305	305	basis starting January 1, 2026, remit from the total amount of
306	306	carryout bag fees collected in the previous quarter the amount
307	307	that is owed to the municipality or county to the finance
308	308	department or division or equivalent agency of the local
309	309	government entity within which the retail establishment is
310	310	located. A retail establishment need not remit carryout bag
311	311	fees collected in any quarter in which the collected fees total
312	312	less than twenty dollars ($20.00). The retail establishment
313	313	shall retain those collected fees until the retail
314	314	establishment has more than twenty dollars ($20.00) of
315	315	collected fees to remit and shall remit those fees as part of
316	316	the next quarterly remittance."
317	317	SECTION 6. A new section of Chapter 74 NMSA 1978 is
318	318	enacted to read:
319	319	"[NEW MATERIAL] ENFORCEMENT--COMPLIANCE ORDERS--
320	320	PENALTIES.--
321	321	A. Except as provided in Section 7 of the Single-
322	322	Use Plastic Bag Act, a local government may enforce a violation
323	323	of the Single-Use Plastic Bag Act against a retail
324	324	establishment that is located within the boundaries of the
325	325	local government in the manner that the local government
326	326	chooses.
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355	355	B. A county or municipality that chooses to enforce
356	356	a violation of the Single-Use Plastic Bag Act against a retail
357	357	establishment may seek injunctive relief against the retail
358	358	establishment or may assess civil penalties, or both. The
359	359	county or municipality may assess penalties of up to:
360	360	(1) five hundred dollars ($500) for a second
361	361	violation; or
362	362	(2) one thousand dollars ($1,000) for a third
363	363	or subsequent violation.
364	364	C. A local government may enforce but shall not
365	365	assess a civil penalty for the first violation of the Single-
366	366	Use Plastic Bag Act.
367	367	D. The department may enforce a violation of the
368	368	Single-Use Plastic Bag Act against the owner or operator of a
369	369	retail establishment if the local government fails to do so.
370	370	E. For the purposes of this section, each retail
371	371	sales transaction in which a violation of the Single-Use
372	372	Plastic Bag Act is committed, regardless of whether multiple
373	373	violations of that act are committed in one retail sales
374	374	transaction, constitutes a single violation of this section."
375	375	SECTION 7. A new section of Chapter 74 NMSA 1978 is
376	376	enacted to read:
377	377	"[NEW MATERIAL] LOCAL GOVERNMENT REGULATION--
378	378	PREEMPTION.--
379	379	A. Beginning January 1, 2026, a local government
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408	408	may enact, implement or enforce any ordinance that is as
409	409	stringent as or more stringent than the Single-Use Plastic Bag
410	410	Act.
411	411	B. Beginning January 1, 2026, the department may
412	412	enforce the Single-Use Plastic Bag Act. Civil penalties
413	413	collected by the department shall be deposited in the recycling
414	414	and illegal dumping fund."
415	415	SECTION 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the
416	416	provisions of this act is January 1, 2026.
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