Ohio #HB242 - a bill to ban local communities from banning single-use plastic) today at #OhioStatehouse.

Testimony by Carolyn Harding:

To Chair Manning, Vice Chair Brenner, Ranking Minority Leader Maharath, and all members of the Local Government, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee.

I’m Carolyn Harding, artist/activist, concerned citizen.

Once again state law makers, you, some of you, are sponsoring law to preempt communities from protecting the health and welfare of their people and environment.

I am aghast that you use Ohioans’ tax money to take away communities’ rights to protect their people and environment, by copying and pasting template preemptive law to ban towns, villages, communities from banning plastic bags and single-use plastic containers.

We all know oil and gas lobbyists are at your doors daily, making sure the Korean and Thai funded #PTTGlobalCracker #PetroChemicalHub and the #AppalachianStorageHub have no local municipalities hindering their potential profits by making #Plastics from #FrackedGas.

But, your job is to protect our constitutional rights, and Ohio is a home rule state and we have the right for local self governance. And when state law preempts our right to write and enforce local law, that’s wrong, it’s corrupt and it’s unconstitutional.

When will you listen to the mayors, county commissioners, the local citizens and stop promoting Preemptive Law that satisfies your benefactors and ultimately fills your campaign coffers? When will you do what folks have elected you to do: protect the Life, Liberty and Happiness of We, the People of Ohio.

Ohio HB 242 is an oil & gas template law, pushed by ALEC devotee “representatives” to maximize profits to the detriment of Ohio people, communities and our hard fought and won #HomeRule.

Kill this Bill before the plastic mountains in our landfills, our rivers, lakes and oceans suffocate you, me, your kids, my kids, your grandkids and mine for generations to come. Kill HB 242 to protect Democracy in Ohio.