The Texas Public Policy’s Center for Local Governance and Think Local Liberty project Director James Quintero and Policy Analyst Bryan Mathew released the following statements on the lawsuit filed by the Texas Attorney General against the city of Brownsville in an effort to stop the municipality from assessing a $1 environmental fee on customers wishing to use traditional plastic and paper bags.The Texas Public Policy’s Center for Local Governance and Think Local Liberty project Director James Quintero and Policy Analyst Bryan Mathew released the following statements on the lawsuit filed by the Texas Attorney General against the city of Brownsville in an effort to stop the municipality from assessing a $1 environmental fee on customers wishing to use traditional plastic and paper bags.
“City officials are not above the law,” said Mathew. “Local leaders, like everyone else, have a duty to respect laws passed by the Texas Legislature. And when those laws are flagrantly violated or ignored, as with Brownsville, then the State has a responsibility to take quick and decisive action to correct this kind of rogue behavior. The rule of law must prevail.”
“The purpose of government is to protect life, liberty, and property rights, not to tell shoppers which kinds of grocery bags they can use at the checkout counter,” said James Quintero, with Think Local Liberty.
In April, TPPF filed an amicus curiae brief in Laredo Merchants Association v. City of Laredo, Texas opposing the City of Laredo’s ordinance that directly contradicts Texas law by prohibiting retailers from offering customers with plastic bags. To read the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s amicus brief, please click here.
| For more information or to request an interview with Mr. Quintero or Mr. Mathew, please contact Caroline Espinosa at [email protected] or 512-472-2700. |
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