Maryland 2009 bill text

House Bill 248

Task Force to Study Required Deposits on Returnable Beverage Containers

The following text was found at http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/bills/hb/hb0248f.pdf

AN ACT concerning
Task Force to Study Required Deposits on Returnable Beverage Containers
FOR the purpose of establishing the Task Force to Study Required Deposits on
Returnable Beverage Containers in the State; providing for the membership of
the Task Force; requiring the Governor to designate the chair of the Task Force;
requiring the Task Force to study certain issues relevant to requiring deposits
on returnable beverage containers in the State; requiring the Task Force to
report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General
Assembly on or before a certain date; providing for reimbursement for expenses
for a member of the Task Force; providing for the staff of the Task Force;
providing for the termination of this Act; and generally relating to the
establishment of the Task Force to Study Required Deposits on Returnable
Beverage Containers in the State.
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That:
(a) There is a Task Force to Study Required Deposits on Returnable
Beverage Containers in the State.
(b) The Task Force consists of the following members:
(1) three members of the Senate of Maryland, appointed by the
President of the Senate;
(2) three members of the House of Delegates, appointed by the
Speaker of the House; and
(3) three county or municipal officials who have experience handling
recyclable materials, appointed by the Governor.
(c) The Governor shall designate the chair of the Task Force.
(d) The Department of the Environment and the Department of Legislative
Services jointly shall provide staff for the Task Force.
(e) A member of the Task Force:
(1) may not receive compensation as a member of the Task Force; but
(2) is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard
State Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget.
(f) The Task Force shall study:
(1) the costs, benefits, and feasibility of requiring deposits on
returnable beverage containers in the State, including the effect this requirement
would have on litter control and recycling activities;
(2) how other states have implemented similar legislation, familiarly
known as bottle bills, and how effective this legislation has been in reducing litter and
increasing rates of recycling;
(3) how to most effectively integrate a bottle bill into the current
statewide recycling program;
(4) issues related to the establishment and operation of recyclable
container redemption centers, including the optimum number and locations for these
centers;
(5) mechanisms to defray the operating and capital costs to local
governments of implementing a bottle bill;
(6) the types of containers that should be subject to a bottle bill;
(7) the financial and operational effect of a bottle bill on State
retailers, especially in light of the experiences of other states; and
(8) any other issue that the Task Force considers relevant to the policy
of requiring deposits on returnable beverage containers in the State.
(g) On or before December 31, 2009, the Task Force shall report its findings
and recommendations to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1246 of the State
Government Article, the General Assembly.
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 2009. It shall remain effective for a period of 7 months and, at the end of
December 31, 2009, with no further action required by the General Assembly, this Act
shall be abrogated and of no further force and effect.