Patricia Doxsey is reporting for the Daily Freeman a committee of the Ulster County Legislature has blocked a proposed local law that would ban single-use plastic bags by retail outlets. The Bring Your Own Bag Act was defeated in the Laws and Rules Committee when Legislature Chairman Ken Ronk cast the deciding vote against the proposal. Under the measure, single use plastic shopping bags would be banned and stores would be required to charge 5 cents for recyclable paper bags. Stores that violate the law would be fined. The 5-cent fee appeared to be a major point of contention for opponents of the law, according to Doxsey. “I understand the virtue of eliminating plastic bags,” said Ronk, a Republican from Walkill. “I don’t agree with it, but I understand it. I don’t agree with the virtue at all of charging a fee for paper.” At a public hearing in June, three of the 22 speakers opposed the proposed law. Opponents included the head of the New York State Association of Convenience Stores and the store manager of ShopRite in the town of Ulster. Sponsors of the bill vowed to force the proposal to the full Legislature for a vote. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.