Hayli Martenez | Facebook
Hayli Martenez | Facebook
On July 9, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into law that will protect child-run lemonade stands across the state from government oversight.
Filed by state Sen. Patrick Joyce and titled Hayli’s Law, SB 119 passed the Illinois House and Senate unanimously and will ensures children under 16 can run a lemonade stand on private property or in public parks without the need for a permit or license.
"Hayli's Law will now ensure our children's lemonade stands are protected!" State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) wrote in a July 13 Facebook post. "With the past problems of some local Health Departments cracking down on kids operating lemonade stands, I am proud to have supported legislation, that has just been signed into law, that now gives children the freedom to operate lemonade stands without fear of government shut-down. The new law prohibits the Department of Public Health or local health departments or districts from regulating lemonade or nonalcoholic drink stands operated by a person under the age of 16. A sweet victory for young entrepreneurs."
The bill was named for Hayli Martenez who started her Haylibug Lemonade stand to raise money for her college fund in 2017, but city and county health department officials told her to shut down the stand or face fines, Illinois Policy reported.
“Don’t let anyone crush your dreams or keep you down,” Hayli told Illinois Policy. “Keep going. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t do.”
Illinois is now among 16 states where selling lemonade without a permit is legal, according to Country Time Lemonade.
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