Election California Plastic Bag Fight

In this Oct. 25, 2013, file photo, a plastic bag sits along a roadside in Sacramento, Calif. The Michigan House on Thursday voted to stop local communities from banning or putting fees on plastic bags. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

LANSING, MI -- Local governments would not have the authority to ban the use of plastic grocery bags in their communities under a bill that passed the House of Representatives on Thursday.

Rep. Bill LaVoy, D-Monroe, and Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, spoke in opposition to the bill on the House floor.

"This is a bill that attacks local control," Irwin said.

Senate Bill 853, introduced by Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland, would prevent local communities from instituting bans or putting fees on containers like bags, cups, bottles or packaging. Stamas told the Senate Commerce Committee in April that such a law would create consistency, especially for businesses that operate branches across the state and would have to abide by multiple regulations.

Irwin said that in his community, a bag ordinance was being considered. Michigan is a tourist state, he said, and such ordinances could clear up litter in much the same way the bottle bill did when it encouraged recycling bottles instead of throwing them away.

The Senate passed the bill in June.

The House passed the Senate bill with no changes on a 62-46 vote. With approval from both chambers, it will soon head to Gov. Rick Snyder for signature.

See which lawmakers voted for and against the bill