Recap: Live blog from the Suffolk County Legislature
Times/Review reporter Jennifer Gustavson will live blog from Tuesday’s Suffolk County Legislature meeting, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Check back for frequent updates.
Public hearing on five cents charge per plastic bag
The Suffolk County Legislature will hold a public hearing to discuss grocery stores charging five cents for every plastic bag a customer uses.
Last month, the legislature held the first public hearing in Hauppauge, where several people spoke to support the bill.
Tara Bono, a spokeswoman for the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, told county lawmakers that while her group is in favor of the bill it would rather see “an all-out ban on both paper and plastic bags.”
“Suffolk County now has an opportunity to stand out as a leader in sustainability while protecting our marine resources, conserving fossil fuels and reducing unsightly litter,” she said.
The public hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Animal abuse registry
Suffolk County Legislative Majority Leader Jon Cooper is expected to propose increasing the amount of time a person’s name appears on the county’s animal abuse registry from five to 10 years.
The county’s animal abuse registry, which is the first of its kind nationwide and launched on Sept. 29, aims to deter convicted animal abusers from acquiring pets.
“We felt five years was too little and 20 years is too long,” he said. “Ten years sounds like a good compromise.”
Mr. Cooper is expected to file his bill with the Legislature this week. It could be voted on at the next meeting scheduled for November.
