Rockford Sun

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Hayli’s Law to allow children under the age of 16 to operate lemonade stands without a permit or license. Officially known as Senate Bill 0112, the legislation was filed by Sen. Patrick Joyce, Illinois Policy reported. 

"Hayli's Law will now ensure our children's lemonade stands are protected! With the past problems of some local Health Departments cracking down on kids operating lemonade stands, I am proud to have supported the legislation, that has just been signed into law, that now gives children the freedom to operate lemonade stands without fear of government shut-down," Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) wrote in a Facebook post. 

The bill ensures local government does not try to stop children from selling non-alcoholic mixed beverages on private property or in public parks, Illinois Policy reported. The governor approved of the law after it passed both the House and the Senate.

Syverson called it “a sweet victory for young entrepreneurs.”

The initiative derived from a 2017 incident during which Hayli Martenez started her Haylibug Lemonade stand to raise money for her college fund, but was quickly forced to shut it down after being reprimanded by city and county health department officials, Illinois Policy reported. Before closing her business, the 11-year-old was threatened with potential fines. 

“It was kind of scary [at first] because we liked to stay in the house,” Hayli told Illinois Policy. “We didn’t like to come outside because of all the stuff happening around here. As we kept doing it, I got to see everybody smile when they tasted my lemonade. It was just … wow. They were lining up to get my lemonade.”

The state is among 16 others that do not require a permit for such purchases. Years after her first business was forced to closed, the town’s mayor has gifted her a new lemonade stand. The young business owner advises her peers to not “let anyone crush your dreams or keep you down. Keep going. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t do.”