Those in favor of the fee point to dirty oceans, sewers fouled with plastic and millions of dollars in litter-cleanup costs. Opponents - mainly bag-industry and taxpayer organizations - say plastic bags draw more blame than they deserve and the fee would be a burden on consumers. About 80 percent of bags given out in the state's supermarkets are plastic.

Both sides expect a fee would drive shoppers to switch to reusable bags. After Ireland imposed a fee on plastic checkout-counter bags in 2002, their use dropped by about 90 percent.

The move to put a price on disposable bags follows the lead of more than a dozen local governments, from the city of San Francisco to Los Angeles County - that have proposed or passed plastic-bag restrictions, ranging from recycling mandates to outright bans.