New Jersey lawmakers are moving forward with a plan to place a five cent fee on paper and plastic bags used in the state.
Both the Assembly and the State Senate passed the measure on Thursday. It's now headed to Governor Phil Murphy for his possible signature. His office hasn't said whether he will sign it.
Of the five cents collected per bag, a penny would be kept by the store and four cents would go to the state.
"The state itself is in financial crisis, so we've gotta raise money somewhere," one person told WOR's Alice Stockton-Rossini.
Advocates of the measure argue that it will be a positive for the environment by helping prevent the bags from winding up in rivers and the ocean.
"It sounds like it's forced taxation," one person complained.
Several towns and cities in New Jersey have already passed similar measures, which add a fee to the use of bags or bans them altogether. If the state measure is signed by Murphy, it will prevent any other towns from moving forward with plans of their own.
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