Lawmakers Approve Bill To Allow Children To Run A Lemonade Stand Without A Permit
Time to celebrate a tiny slice of freedom now that lawmakers have recently approved of a bill that allows children to make and sell lemonade without having to get a permit to do so.
That bill, also known as Senate Bill 103 or the "Legalizing Minors' Businesses" bill, and states:
"... that the people running [the business] must be younger than 17, be in a residential neighborhood and be at least 200 feet away from any other vendor that's selling drinks."
We've seen previously that law enforcement officers have wasted their time targeting children who had various lemonade stands set up around the country and several children have taken the opportunity to testify to the senate about the importance of the freedom to explore their entrepreneurial goals. They've also worked with their parents to push for local and state legislative changes on this matter; pushing for more freedom.
A similar bill in Minnesota is also being considered, one that would allow children to run a lemonade or other business stand without permits.
It's already been approved by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and is now awaiting further action on the senate floor.
Utah has also similarly passed previous legislation that was hoping to do the same, protect the right of children to set up their lemonade stand and other small businesses without having to get a permit. Wisconsin has also attempted to do the same, but their attempts failed and the bill didn't pass the senate.
This sort of common sense shouldn't require legislative changes...
Pics:
pic 1 -pixabay
pic 2 - Denver post
While I'm glad that lawmakers are prohibiting LEAs from harrassing kids with lemonade stands, I completely agree that they shouldn't have to. It's another example of the overburden of bureaucracy and lawfare Americans struggle with today, and it is high time we ended that excessive drag on our enterprise.
I note that the particular legislation you quote prohibits kids from having a stand within 200 feet of a business selling beverages, and I can see why such businesses would be unhappy with kids sellling pure, wholesome handcrafted lemonade, as there are probably not many canned sodas that can compete on a sunny day.
When my kids were nearing their teens, I built them a pretty nice lemonade bar, found some stars and stripes bunting, made a deal with a local farmer's market for lemons, and cleared them some space in front of a commercial building I owned fronting Highway 101. Out of the blue, the state began repairing a bridge right next door, and traffic backed up for a mile.
After one of the flaggers for the construction crew had a glass, all of them became regulars, and as cars approached the flagging point, they'd engage drivers and recommend the boys work.
My sons were making $20/hour squeezing lemons. We had to order lemons from three different vendors to keep up. Two stores sold beverages across the street, and one of the owners came by to discuss the matter with me. I told him to stay on his side of the street, and if he wanted to compete, he could squeeze his own lemons.
That was the end of the discussion LOL.
That was highly educational for my kids (an important part of their homeschool curriculum), and beneficial for those that were availed of the fresh squeezed lemonade - a far better product than you can buy in a can. It was a small town in a very rural area and no Sheriff came by, but if they had I'd have offered them a glass, and pointed out the good that was coming from it. I'm pretty sure there'd have been no trouble with local law enforcement after that.
However, I can see how more urban settings might not be so conducive to entrepreneurial kids competing with their businesses. A better man might offer kids a spot in their parking lot, in exchange for a small percentage of the take, and I'd have encouraged my kids to do that. Most city folk wouldn't do that, I think, and that's a sad comment on America today.
Thanks!
Great story, and all I have to say about all of this is...
LOL!
Feels like the same people who are calling today's youth lazy and unmotivated are the same people establishing laws to stifle them.
The US is really gone full nanny state. The citizens are treated like children and the children like babies.
Everything is by default forbidden and people can apply for permissions.
Now if only they removed that kind of BS permit mandate from adults, too...
we gotta change it from the inside
Or just break bad laws enough that they're effectively nullified.
if only we could inspire the enforcers :D
No it should not but thank goodness common sense has won over complete foolery.
Good stuff! I had a lemonade stand growing up and made bank! Used to sell koolaid too
Posted using Partiko iOS
I know you have written about similar topics Another example: Prohibition of neighborhood bake sale, or something very similar. These are symptoms that reveal unhealthy conditions. I think that increasingly restrictive conditions are not exclusively but part of what is feeding widespread anxiety and depression. It is an underlying foundation for a crisis; people breaking and shutting down without necessarily knowing why they feel stuck and lost.
So just reading the headline- gives me an awful feeling because, as you say, we should not be having to defend simple living.
Well at least they are tackling the huge stuff and not just the easy stuff!!
If my little one’s lemonade stands brought in $1000, I would consider a new line of business.
Still slow progress and encouragement (or at least less discouragement) to the young entrepreneur.
Posted using Partiko iOS