Prince George's County - Authority to Retain Fee for Single-Use and Reusable Bags PG 403-26
Summary
HB408 authorizes Prince George’s County, by local law, to keep a portion of the fee charged at retail for single-use or reusable carryout bags. The bill applies only if the county has already enacted a local bag-fee requirement for retail establishments, and it caps the county’s retained share at no more than 10 cents per bag. Any money the county retains must be deposited into the county general fund.
The bill also makes clear that this new authority does not prevent the county from allowing retailers to keep part of the fee under local law. The measure takes effect July 1, 2026, and would be added to the Local Government Article as a county-specific provision for Prince George’s County.
Impact
HB408 would amend Maryland law to give Prince George’s County explicit statutory authority to retain a portion of carryout bag fees collected under a local bag-fee ordinance. It would create a new county-specific section in the Local Government Article, limit the county’s retained amount to 10 cents per bag, and direct retained revenues to the county general fund. The bill affects retail establishments and customers in Prince George’s County and preserves local flexibility over how bag-fee revenue is shared between the county and retailers.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the available record. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears administrative and locally focused, with a narrow fiscal and regulatory purpose rather than a broad policy change.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the allocation of bag-fee revenue: the bill gives the county authority to retain up to 10 cents per bag, which could be viewed as a revenue measure by supporters and as an added cost or administrative burden by opponents. Another possible issue is local control versus retailer retention, since the bill allows but does not require the county to let retailers keep part of the fee. No specific stakeholder positions were included in the materials provided.