Pennsylvania 2025_0 Regular Session Status: In Committee 19 D cosponsors

HB 290 — An Act amending Title 27 (Environmental Resources) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in environmental protection, providing for polystyrene food container prohibition; and imposing penalties.

Last action — Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION, Jan. 23, 2025

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 23, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 19 sponsors

    1 primary, 18 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (19 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Single Use Plastic: Polystyrene

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill adds a new chapter to the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes that prohibits the use of polystyrene food service containers in food establishments and imposes penalties for violations.

  • Title 27

    CHAPTER 43 POLYSTYRENE FOOD CONTAINER PROHIBITION Sec. 4301. Purpose. 4302. Definitions. 4303. Prohibition. 4304. Complaints. 4305. Compliance. 4306. Regulations. 4307. Penalties. 4308. Applicability.

    This establishes a new chapter specifically addressing the prohibition of polystyrene food containers.

  • § 4301

    The intent of this chapter is to reduce the adverse environmental impact of polystyrene food containers by prohibiting a food establishment from dispensing prepared food to a customer in a polystyrene food service container.

    This clause states the purpose of the new chapter focusing on the environmental impact of polystyrene containers.

  • § 4303

    (a) Food establishment.--A food establishment is prohibited from: (1) Dispensing prepared food in or on a polystyrene food service container. (2) Selling, giving or providing eating utensils or straws composed of polystyrene. (b) Retailer.--A retailer is prohibited from selling, giving or providing a polystyrene food service container except for: (1) Meat trays. (2) Egg cartons. (3) Packing materials.

    This section introduces prohibitions on food establishments and retailers regarding the use and distribution of polystyrene food containers and utensils.

  • § 4307

    (a) Imposition.--The department may impose a civil penalty in the following amounts for a violation of this chapter: (1) For a first violation, $500. (2) For a second violation, $1,000. (3) For a third or subsequent violation, $2,000. (b) Payment.--Any civil penalty collected under subsection (a) shall be paid to the department.

    This section establishes the civil penalties for violations of the new chapter, creating financial consequences for non-compliance.

  • § 4308

    This act shall apply to transactions consummated after July 1, 2025.

    This specifies the effective date for the implementation of the new prohibitions under this chapter.

Action History

  1. Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION, Jan. 23, 2025

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 18 co-sponsors · 234 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (18)

Not signed on (234)

234 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 290 do?
Single Use Plastic: Polystyrene
Who sponsors HB 290?
HB 290 is sponsored by Tim Briggs (Democratic), MaryLouise Isaacson (Democratic), Emily Kinkead (Democratic), Chris Pielli (Democratic), Tarik Khan (Democratic), Tarah Probst (Democratic), Malcolm Kenyatta (Democratic), Tim Brennan (Democratic), Benjamin V. Sanchez (Democratic), Kristine C. Howard (Democratic), Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz (Democratic), Dan K. Williams (Democratic), Steven R. Malagari (Democratic), Robert Freeman (Democratic), Carol Hill-Evans (Democratic), G. Roni Green (Democratic), Jeanne McNeill (Democratic), Liz Hanbidge (Democratic), and Joseph C. Hohenstein (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 290?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 23, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 290?
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