One of the bills that didn’t make it to the state Assembly floor for a vote before the end of the session was one that would allow the sale of many home-prepared goods.
In the words of supporter Lisa Kivirist, the “cookie bill” now has a little bit more time to bake. Kivirist is an owner of Inn Serendipity Farm and Bed & Breakfast. She has been involved with the bill since its start about two years ago. She’s disappointed it never got a vote in the Assembly, but says supporters will keep at it.
“We’re definitely going to reintroduce this next year. It’s my understanding that sometimes, some bills take a long time to cook,” Kivirist said. “If that’s the case with this, the reality is now we will do that, and support and organizing behind it will be even stronger next time.”
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To sell home-baked goods under the bill, people must follow specific labeling requirements and take a food safety course, among other requirements. Kivirist says it would help small-scale food start-ups and allow people like her to diversify their businesses.
The legislation passed the state Senate earlier this year, but got held up in the Assembly. State Rep. Ed Brooks, R-Reedsburg, is one of the bill’s sponsors. He says they couldn’t get the legislation to the Assembly floor for a vote.
“There was support for the bill, but there was also a few individuals that opposed it because their constituents felt that—their constituents being small bakers and things like that, in local hometowns—they felt this would give an unfair advantage to a start-up company,” Brooks said. “That was their logic. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but again, that’s what I was up against and the end result was, we now have to look to the future.”
Brooks says he’s disappointed, but the plan is to bring the bill the bill back next session.
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