INDIANAPOLIS — When life gives you lemons, do you pass lemonade legislation?
Some Indiana lawmakers think so.
It might surprise people to know, that under current Indiana law, kids who want to run a lemonade stand first need a permit and inspection from the county health department.
A proposed law would eliminate that red tape, essentially deregulating the lemonade stand industry.
Democratic Rep. Blake Johnson thinks lemonade stands also come with an important lesson for kids.
“You think about, ‘How can we help teach kids early skills around financial literacy around business entrepreneurship?’” Johnson said.
Johnson filed a bill this session that would allow kids to run a lemonade stand on their private property without a permit or inspection. A neighborhood homeowners association would also be prohibited from weighing in.
The bill passed unanimously out of committee Tuesday.
“What we’re doing today is removing that restriction and making it clear, if a kid wants to have a lemonade stand, they can do so now in Indiana,” Johnson said.
Like any bill, though, there’s no guarantee House Bill 1019 will make it across the finish line to become a law.
Two years ago, Republican Rep. Jim Pressel filed the exact same bill after a concerned dad called him about the current law, regulating lemonade stands and requiring a permit to have one.
Presell said filing the bill two sessions ago turned into a civics lesson for some of his young constituents.
“This has a lot to do with teaching our kids how to deal with the change you want to effect,” Pressel said.
Those same young people also ended up learning change can be slow to come.
Two years ago, the House passed the bill unanimously, but it never got a committee hearing in the Senate, so it died.
This session, lemonade stands are back in business, at least where the legislative process is concerned.
All the lawmakers in the House will get a second look at HB 1019 later this week. That’s when they can offer changes to be voted on.