SACRAMENTO – The California Senate is pressing a ban on single-use plastic bags — a ban that has a better shot at getting approved this year after the California Grocers Association threw its support behind it this week, the Lost Angeles Times reports. Consumers would have to bring their own reusable cloth or plastic bags or purchase paper bags for a dime. 

State Sen. Alex Padilla’s bill would eliminate plastic bags in supermarkets and drug stores starting Jan. 1, 2015. Convenience stores and liquor stores would have until Jan. 1, 2016, before plastic bags would be banned at their locations.

Today, the Senate Environmental Quality Committee will hold its first hearing on the measure. If SB 205 is ultimately approved, the ordinance would supersede the current plastic bag laws in various California localities, including Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Monica and West Hollywood. Sacramento is also considering banning plastic bags. “It is time for a statewide single-use plastic bag ban in California,” said Padilla.

The California Grocers Association is backing the proposal because it would bring uniformity to the patchwork of ordinances now in place. Meanwhile, plastic bag makers are pointing out that plastic bags are made with 100% recyclable materials and are reused by consumers for a variety of purposes.

Plastic bags are a popular topic in this year’s senate, with Padilla’s bill being joined by a measure proposed by Sen. Lois Wolk, which would put a nickel tax on each single-use paper or plastic shopping bag. Austin, Texas, recently enacted its own ban on plastic bags.