Better Straws Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Better Straws Act codifies Executive Order 14208, published at 90 Federal Register 9585, relating to ending procurement and forced use of paper straws. The bill is short, but its legal effect is concrete: the executive order would have the force and effect of law rather than resting only on executive-branch policy. That makes the order's restrictions on federal procurement and compelled paper-straw use harder to reverse administratively without later legislation.
Who Benefits and How
Federal facility users who prefer non-paper straws benefit if agencies cannot require paper straws under the codified order. Plastic straw and alternative straw suppliers benefit if federal procurement moves away from paper-only requirements. Businesses selling non-paper straws to federal agencies benefit from a stronger statutory basis for procurement demand. Executive Order 14208 supporters benefit because the order becomes legally entrenched.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal procurement officers must treat Executive Order 14208 as law when buying or requiring straws. Paper straw manufacturers may lose federal procurement opportunities tied to paper-only policies. Agencies with paper-straw policies must change purchasing, facility, or concession rules to comply with the codified order. Future administrations lose flexibility to reverse the order by executive action alone.
Key Provisions
- Codifies Executive Order 14208.
- Provides the executive order the force and effect of law.
- Restricts federal procurement and forced use of paper straws through statutory incorporation.
- Limits administrative reversal of the paper-straw policy without later legislation.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Gives Executive Order 14208 on ending procurement and forced use of paper straws the force and effect of law.
Key Policy Areas
Federal Procurement, Consumer Products, Executive Orders
Primary Purpose
Gives Executive Order 14208 on ending procurement and forced use of paper straws the force and effect of law.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal facility users
- Plastic straw suppliers
- Non-paper straw vendors
- Executive Order 14208 supporters
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal procurement officers
- Paper straw manufacturers
- Agencies with paper-straw policies
- Future administrations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. Tenney introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Introduced in House
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology