Galesburg Reporter

A law was signed to protect young lemonade stand owners after an 11-year-old was about to face fines for running hers without a permit in Illinois.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Hayli's Law following a unanimous vote by the Illinois House and Senate, ensuring children under 16 can run a lemonade stand without a permit or license.

"A sweet victory for young entrepreneurs," Sen. Win Stoller (R-Peoria) wrote in a Facebook post. "It’s sad that we were forced to pass legislation to stop government entities from cracking down on kid-operated lemonade stands, but I am proud to have co-sponsored Hayli’s Law which now ensures our children do not have to worry about the Department of Public Health or local health departments trying to shut down their lemonade stands."

Hayli Martenez opened her Haylibug Lemonade stand because she wanted to raise money for college. Although she worried about getting customers in a "violent neighborhood," people trickled to her thirst-quenching business.

"As we kept doing it, I got to see everybody smile when they tasted my lemonade," Martenez said in an article posted in Illinois Policy. "It was just ... wow. They were lining up to get my lemonade."

Her success led to a profile about the lemonade stand published in the Kankakee Daily Journal; however, this would get attention from city and county health officials.

She was told to shut down her business because of "the lack of water and sewer service to the Martenez's home," Illinois Policy reported — even though she used bottled water for the lemonade.

Sen. Patrick Joyce filed SB 0119, preventing the government from stopping a person under 16 from selling nonalcoholic mixed drinks.

"Who would have thought you would need a lemonade law?" Iva Martenez, Hayli's mother, said in Illinois Policy.